(CNN) -- U.S. President Barack Obama is expected to finalize a comprehensive partnership with Indonesia during his two-day stop in the Southeast Asian nation where he spent part of his childhood.

However the Indonesia volcano that threatened President Obama's visit is now "likely" to shorten an already brief stop to the capital city of Jakarta.

Obama met with Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and held a news conference with him. He is also scheduled to attend an official dinner; and visit the Istiqlal Mosque, the largest mosque in southeast Asia.

White House spokesman Robert Gibbs, who earlier told reporters that officials were closely monitoring the ash cloud from Mount Merapi, said forecasting shows air traffic might again be disrupted.

Gibbs said the president still hopes to deliver a speech at the University of Indonesia. "My sense is, our hope is that while we may have to truncate some of the morning we can get the speech in," Gibbs told reporters aboard Air Force One on a flight from New Delhi to Jakarta.

Obama lived in the Indonesian capital from 1968-1971, leaving aged 10. Click through CNN's photo gallery above to see what Indonesians are thinking of his upcoming visit and to learn about his time there.