Protocol on presidential state visits can be tricky.
Witness the Michelle Obama handshake controversy going on in Indonesia.
Information Minister Tifatul Sembiring -- a conservative Muslim who says he makes no contact with women who are unrelated to him -- admits he shook Mrs. Obama's hand today, but adds that he was basically forced into it.
"I tried to prevent (being touched) with my hands but Mrs. Michelle held her hands too far toward me (so) we touched," Sembiring said on his Twitter account.
Critics have questioned his claim, pointing to the video above -- that's Sembiring, bowing, with a big smile on his face.
- In footage of the official welcome, Sembiring appeared to share his countrymen's enthusiasm (for the Obama visit). He smiled broadly as he shook the president's hand and then reached with both hands to grasp Michelle's. But later he said she forced their contact.
His denial was in a response to tweets from Indonesians who noted the handshake, saying it called into question his long-standing claims that, as a good Muslim, he restricts his contact with women.
Many posts had a "gotcha" quality to them.
One female journalist -- who said the minister had refused to shake her hand -- gleefully noted that now he would no longer be able to wriggle out of it.
Sembiring has often tweeted controversial comments, including blaming natural disasters on a lack of morality and joking about AIDS.
(Posted by David Jackson)
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