SYDNEY, Australia – The much-ballyhooed bilateral one-on-one luncheon meeting between Philippine President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo and US President George W. Bush here prior to the start of the Asian Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit Sept. 6 did not materialize.
Instead, Bush hosted a luncheon for the leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) which included the Philippines. It was here that Mrs. Arroyo and Bush was able to talk briefly.
Department of Foreign Affairs spokesman Claro Cristobal confirmed that the scheduled meeting was cancelled but he said the Home Office was not aware of the reason behind the cancellation. But the US protocol officer said it was not in Bush’s schedule.
Also
aborted at the last minute were the scheduled dinner meeting last
night between Mrs. Arroyo and members of the US Chamber of Commerce
and US APEC Business Council, and the afternoon meeting with
Andronico Luksik, a Chilean mining executive.
Philippine
officials, however, were unperturbed by the cancellations of Mrs.
Arroyo’s appointments Sept. 6, saying these were “minor” and
did not affect the country’s main agenda in the summit.
The
expected bilateral meeting between Mrs. Arroyo and Bush was
downgraded to a brief “pull aside” but the two leaders were able
to cover all issues in their agenda ahead of the two-day APEC summit
that starts today.
Mrs.
Arroyo and Bush talked during the lunch for ASEAN leaders at the
Intercontinental Sydney Hotel at around 12:30 p.m. During
lunch, Bush invited ASEAN leaders to the US as part of the 30th
anniversary celebration of US-ASEAN relations.
“I’m
inviting ASEAN leaders to Texas at their convenience and am looking
forward to continuing constructive conversation whether on democracy,
fighting terrorism or expanding trade or avian flu or climate
change," Bush told the ASEAN leaders and representatives present
at the luncheon.
It
was not clear how Mrs. Arroyo and Bush held their talks as Indonesian
Foreign Minister Dr. Hassan Wirajuda sat between them.
Mrs.
Arroyo later told reporters that the meeting went well, and they
covered issues ranging from counter-terrorism, economy to climate
change.
She
said the first thing they discussed was Bush’s praise for the
Country’s anti-terrorism campaign in his speech at the luncheon,
and she replied that it was because of the US’s “strong
partnership in the South.”
“Then
President Bush asked: ”How’s the economy doing?" I told him
about 7.5 percent (growth in Gross Domestic Product). And he said he
would invite us to Texas, Mrs. Arroyo said.
The
US President also inquired about the Philippine position on climate
change, tabled by Australia as the main agenda in the summit.
Mrs.
Arroyo also said that Bush offered funding for reforestation programs
in the Philippines.
When
asked whether there would be another meeting with Bush today at the
sidelines of the leaders’ retreat at the Sydney Opera House, Mrs.
Arroyo said: “I said already everything I have to say, so it
depends.”
Foreign
Affairs Secretary Alberto Romulo and Ambassador Marciano Paynor,
chief of presidential protocol, however said they would try to
arrange for another meeting between the two leaders.
Due
to time constraints, the one-on-one meeting of Bush and the President
became a pull-aside meeting during his session with the ASEAN
leaders, Romulo said.
“In
my view that is already as good as a bilateral meeting,” Romulo
said.
“The
fact that they were able to talk about the things they wanted to
discuss is already a bilateral meeting," he added.
Ma.
Theresa Lazaro, Philippine consul-general to Sydney, told reporters
Sept. 5 that it was the US that sought the bilateral meeting that was
supposedly going to be held after the lunch with ASEAN leaders.
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