Filepic - Obama giving a speech.
WASHINGTON: President Barack Obama does not plan to see Malaysian Opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim when he is in Kuala Lumpur next week, though US officials on Friday did not rule out a lower-level meeting.
Obama will become the first sitting US president to visit Malaysia in nearly half a century when he touches down in the country on April 26.
Asked whether Obama would make time during his schedule in Malaysia, which includes a state dinner and talks with Prime Minister Najib Razak, national security advisor Susan Rice indicated he would not.
"I think that the president is not likely to have that meeting - there may be other engagements at other levels," said Rice.
Obama will however hold a town hall meeting with what he calls young leaders from all over Southeast Asia and will also meet civil society representatives in Kuala Lumpur.
Obama's trip, which begins in Japan, also includes stops in South Korea and the Philippines. – AFP
