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Washington. US President Barack Obama canceled a trip that had been set for this month to Australia and Indonesia to deal with the ongoing oil spill crisis in the Gulf of Mexico and other matters, the White House said early on Friday.

Asked why the trip had been canceled, White House spokesman Robert Gibbs told Reuters by email it was “to deal with important issues including the BP BP.L BP.N oil spill.”

Obama phoned President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and informed him personally of his decision.

A spokesman for Yudhoyono said the president understood the decision, given the ongoing BP oil disaster.

Obama has reportedly rescheduled for November though no dates have been announced.

The news came a day after state news agency Antara reported that a United States Air Force cargo plane had landed at Ngurah Rai International Airport in Bali on Wednesday evening and unloaded its “logistic supplies” for Obama’s visit.

The Boeing C-17 Globemaster, the second such flight, had then flown back to the United States.

Antara reported that according to records, on March 18 another cargo plane landed on the resort island to unload logistic supplies in connection to Obama’s first planned visit from March 23 to 25.

That visit was canceled and the supplies had to be flown back to the US.

“Now the same logistics have been unloaded again,” Bali Police spokesman Snr. Comr. Sugianyar said on Thursday said.

Given Obama’s latest cancellation, it now appears that at least another two planeloads of equipment will have to be returned to the US unused.

Reuters, JG