Jakarta: US President Barack Obama will attend the East Asia Summit (EAS) on the Indonesian resort island of Bali on November 19, a local official said on Thursday.
Bali provincial government spokesman Ketut Teneng said US Ambassador Scot Marciel had informed the regional authorities of Obama`s intention to attend the regional strategic dialogue, which also includes China and Russia.
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is to visit Bali in July, when the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) is holding its Regional Forum dialogue from the 15th to the 23rd, he said.
"On Wednesday afternoon, the Bali governor met with the US ambassador. He was informed that President Obama would visit Bali this November to attend the East Asia Summit," Teneng said.
"Hillary Clinton also plans to visit Bali this July in order to attend an international meeting and to check the preparations for Obama`s visit," he added.
The US embassy was not immediately able to confirm either visit.
It would be Obama`s second official visit to Indonesia, a mainly Muslim archipelago in Southeast Asia where the US President spent part of his childhood in the late 1960s.
Indonesia is hosting the regional dialogue in its capacity as chair of ASEAN, the 10-nation grouping which forms the core of the broader EAS.
The United States and Russia were admitted to the 18-nation EAS last year, but Obama did not attend the leaders` meeting in Hanoi in October, sending Hillary in his place.
Chinese President Hu Jintao is also expected to attend the summit, which closely follows meetings of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) and the Group of 20 rich and developing countries.
Bureau Report
