Jakarta: All of Indonesia is welcoming President Barack Obama, but one minister has a decidedly less friendly message.
Information Minister Tifatul Sembiring told followers
on Twitter he tried to avoid shaking the first lady's hand. As
a conservative Muslim, he usually avoids contact with women
outside his family.
Sembiring was in a receiving line that greeted the
Obamas in Jakarta today - a homecoming of sorts for the
president who spent part of his childhood here.
Footage of the event showed Sembiring smiling broadly
as he reached with both hands to grasp Michelle's. But later
he said she forced their contact.
He tweeted: "I tried to prevent (being touched) with
my hands but Mrs. Michelle held her hands too far toward me
(so) we touched."
PTI
First Published: Tuesday, November 09, 2010, 22:48