Bush leaves Iraq for Australia to attend APEC summit
4/9/2007 15:23
US President George W. Bush flew to Sydney, Australia, yesterday after a
surprise visit to Iraq, said the White House.
Bush was set to arrive in the
Australian capital today to attend the 15th Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation
(APEC) summit, it added.
During the second trip to Australia as president, as
the White House said today, Bush would join Prime Minister John Howard in a
discussion on the bilateral relations and events.
The hot spots in the world
including Iran, Iraq and Afghanistan, and the regional concerns such as the
six-party talks on the nuclear issue on the Korean peninsula are also among the
topics listed for the meeting.
Later this week, Bush is to deliver a speech
at the Sydney Opera House before APEC Business Summit, and hold talks with APEC
leaders including South Korea President Roh Moo-hyun and Japanese Prime Minister
Shinzo Abe, according to the White House officials.
During an unannounced
stop in Iraq on his way to Sydney, Bush spent six hours in a heavily guarded
desert air base in the western province of Anbar, about 190 kilometers west of
Baghdad, where he again urged in a speech the Congress to wait until the White
House presents the progress report about the Iraqi security situation before
drawing a conclusion on the administration's decision to augment military
deployment in the country.
Apart from talks and picture-takings with American
troops at the al-Asad Air Base, Bush also heard briefing from Gen. David
Petraeus, the top US commander in Iraq, and US ambassador to Baghdad Ryan
Crocker, who are testifying to Congress next week assessing the president's
troop buildup.
However, Bush's secret trip to Iraq, the third one in four
years, was criticized by opposition politicians as merely a media event to
advocate his war policy, which was pushed back by the White House.
"There are
some people who might try to deride this trip as a photo opportunity," White
House deputy press secretary Dana Perino said, adding "We wholeheartedly
disagree."
Xinhua
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