Presidential home-coming: Obama returns to Indonesia where he was once known as Barry
President Barack Obama returned to the country which was once his home today, the latest stop on his tour of Asia.
Touching down in Jakarta, Indonesia, where he lived for four years as a boy known by locals as Barry, President Obama will speak on issues such as religious tolerance in the world's largest Muslim nation.
The President had previously planned to visit Indonesia on two occasions - but was forced to cancel in March and June due to US domestic problems.
Arrival: President Barack Obama and wife Michelle disembark Air Force One in Jakarta, Indonesia for a 24-hour visit
Welcome home 'Barry': President Obama waves as he gets into his limousine
However, the current visit is likely to be shortened to under 24 hours because of volcanic activity which has affected flights in the region.
It comes after a three-day tour of India where he met the country's president and prime minister.
After arriving at Halim Perdana Kusuma airport in Jakarta, President Obama accompanied by wife Michelle was driven to meet President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.
The two leaders will hold a joint press conference later, before a special dinner held in the First Lady's honour this evening.
Ben Rhodes, a US Deputy National Security Adviser, said: 'Lots of US interests and lots of challenges and opportunities intersect in Indonesia.
'The president will be able to speak to the positive example that Indonesia sets... as a country with a thriving Islamic community, but also a country that has a pluralistic tradition.'
Obama's abbreviated schedule doesn't allow time for him to visit childhood haunts, but he intends to speak of his personal biography when he addresses a large crowd at the University of Indonesia on Wednesday.
There were also protests today against the visit, with Muslim women holding posters saying 'go home' outside the US Embassy in Jakarta.
Meeting: President Obama, left, and Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono at the State Palace Complex
Unhappy: Muslim women call for the president to return home outside the US Embassy in Jakarta
A young Mr Obama moved to Jakarta when he was six, after his divorced mother remarried an Indonesian, and lived there until he was 10.
Mr Obama's stepfather was Muslim, and during his time in Indonesia Obama occasionally studied the Quran and visited a local mosque.
Although the president is Christian, that background helped foster enduring rumours in the US about his religion.
Planning for his Asia trip featured a religious controversy when the president opted not to visit the Golden Temple Sikh holy site in India, spawning rumours that he wanted to avoid wearing a head covering that could make him appear Muslim.
In Jakarta the president plans to visit the giant Istqlal Mosque, the largest mosque in Southeast Asia and a popular tourist attraction.
The president will conclude his Indonesia visit with a wreath-laying at Kalibata Heroes Cemetery, the burial site of veterans of the Indonesian National Revolution.
Mr Obama departs Jakarta for Seoul early on Wednesday afternoon for a summit of the Group of 20 developed and developing nations.
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