U.S. President George Bush has arrived in Seoul, South Korea - the first
stop on a week-long Asian tour that will also take him to Thailand and China for
the opening of the Beijing Olympics. VOA's Paula Wolfson reports from the South
Korean capital.
This is likely to be Mr.
Bush's last trip to Asia as president. And he has a full agenda for his talks
with South Korean, Thai and Chinese leaders: from North Korea's nuclear
ambitions, to trade, to human rights.
In Seoul, he will discuss security
and finance matters with President Lee Myung-bak. But North Korea is likely to
be the issue that hangs over all else.
President Bush has said he
welcomes North Korea's recent declaration of its plutonium enrichment
activities, and the destruction of the cooling tower at its Yongbyon reactor.
But he says the North must still agree to a verification process.
"They're a highly sanctioned regime. And as I said, they've got a lot of
obligations that they must fulfill in order for these sanctions to leave,"
President Bush said.
Beef protests delayed president's visit to South Korea
Mr. Bush
was originally expected to visit South Korea last month. But the trip was
postponed following massive demonstrations in Seoul against imports of American
beef.
Passions on that issue have cooled in recent weeks, but some
protestors are expected to take to the streets during his visit. Local media
report security forces are on high alert and more than 16,000 riot police are on
standby to handle any unruly crowds.
Mr. Bush's reception in Thailand is likely to be much more sedate. Officially, he is going to Bangkok to mark the 175th anniversary of U.S.-Thai relations, and to deliver a speech that will be, in essence, an assessment of his Asia policies.
First Lady Laura Bush will travel to Thai-Burmese border
But
going to Thailand also provides an opportunity to highlight conditions in
neighboring Burma. It will also give First Lady Laura Bush - who has made Burma
a personal cause - a chance to tour a refugee camp on the Thai-Burmese border
and meet face-to-face with some of the victims of Burma's military
regime.
"The more I've seen, the more critical I see the need is for the
people in Burma to be - for the world to pay attention to the people of Burma,
and for the world to put pressure on the military regime," she said.
In Beijing, president will cheer US Olympic athletes
From
Thailand, the president and Mrs. Bush will go to Beijing where he will be
playing two roles: leader of the United States and sports fan.
He says he
will raise concerns about human rights and other issues with Chinese leaders in
private, but will not use the Olympics to make a political statement.
"I
am looking forward to cheering the athletes," the president said. "I think it
will be - I think it would be good for these athletes who have worked so hard to
see their president waving the flag."
During an interview with the
Washington Post newspaper, conducted during the flight from Washington to
Seoul, the president talked about the evolution of U.S.-China relations during
his years in office.
He praised China's efforts to curb the nuclear
ambitions of both North Korea and Iran. But he acknowledged it is very difficult
to determine if there has been any improvement in human rights in China over the
last eight years. And he expressed disappointment that Chinese actions helped
scuttle the latest round of world trade talks.