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Jakarta (ANTARA News) - The postponement of United States President Barack Obama`s trip to Indonesia which had been scheduled for later this month was not caused by terrorism-related or security concerns, an Indonesian minister said.

"The postponement of Obama`s visit has nothing to do with terrorism-related or security concerns but was purely caused by an internal matter in the US,"
Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs Djoko Suyanto said here on Friday.

Suyanto said Obama was compelled to postpone his trip to Indonesia and Australia because of his hectic political agenda in Washington ahead of a Congressional vote on his health insurance reform bill.

According to Suyanto, preparations to receive Obama in Indonesia had begun to be made some time ago, including security matters at the locations in Jakarta and Bali the US president wanted to visit.

But according to a New York Times report on Thursday, White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs had announced Obama had called off his trip to Indonesia and Australia because the president deemed it necessary to stay in Washington to push for the passage of the health care legislation up for a vote later this weekend in the House.

Gibbs said Obama on Thursday called Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, and that both governments understood the importance of the health care bill and the president`s desire to see it through.

"The president greatly regrets the delay. The passage of health insurance reform is of paramount importance and the president is determined to see this battle through," The New York Times quoted Gibbs as saying.

But Gibbs also said President Obama`s departure date was being pushed back to some time in June this year.

Announcing that Obama`s overseas trip was off, Gibbs made clear that the US president felt he had no other choice and said efforts were under way to reschedule the visits to Indonesia and Australia to June.

Editor: Bambang

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