US PRESIDENT Barack Obama has called His Majesty the Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam to express his appreciation for His Majesty’s strong leadership of the Asean and EAS Summits.

According to a press statement from The White House, Office of the Press Secretary, Obama expressed his regret that the ongoing government shutdown in the United States would prevent him from attending the summits.

Obama reaffirmed the importance of the partnership between US and the Sultanate, and his commitment to the US-Asean relationship, and said that US Secretary of State John Kerry would be taking his place in Brunei. - Borneo Bulletin (5 October 2013)