Jakarta  - Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said US President Barack Obama is planning to visit Indonesia, where he spent part of his childhood, this year, the state-run Antara news agency reported Friday.

Obama conveyed his intention to Yudhoyono during a breakfast at the Group of 20 summit of major economies in London on Thursday, Antara said.

"I told him that the Indonesian people are awaiting a visit by Obama, and he responded that he planned to visit this year," Yudhoyono was quoted as saying.

Yudhoyono said he hoped Obama could meet his old school friends in Jakarta.

Obama attended two different elementary schools in Jakarta during his four-year stay in Indonesia with his mother, who married an Indonesian after separating from Obama's Kenyan father.

US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton visited Indonesia in February as part of a four-nation tour that also took her to Japan, South Korea and China.

In Indonesia, the world's most populous Muslim nation, many are proud of Obama's Indonesian connection.

Indonesians were critical of some of US policies under Obama's predecessor George W Bush, especially his so-called "war on terror." (dpa)