Bush to make state visit to RP

WASHINGTON (AFP) — US President George W. Bush announced Monday that he planned to visit the Philippines later this year, the first state visit of a US president in almost 28 years.

"I am honored to accept President Arroyo’s generous invitation to visit the Philippines this fall when I intend to travel to Southeast Asia for the APEC leaders’ meeting," Bush said.

The meeting of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) is to be held in October in Bangkok, Thailand.

According to the foreign office, the last American leader to honor the Philippines with a state visit was Gerald Ford in December 1975 but the last US president to visit the country was Bill Clinton, who came to the Philippines in November 1996 for the APEC summit at the Subic freeport in Zambales.

According to the Malacañang protocol office, the last time the Arroyo administration hosted a state visit was on Jan. 26 to 29 last year for Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah of Brunei.

Bush made the announcement at the East Room of the White House where the two leaders held a joint press conference after their 45-minute one-on-one talks at the Oval Office and the separate 45-minute expanded bilateral panel talks at the Cabinet Room.

The bilateral talks were held after the welcome rites at the South Lawn for Mrs. Arroyo, honored here with just the third state visit Bush has hosted since taking office, and the first by an Asian leader.

"This is the first state visit by the leader of an Asian country during my administration. You honor the American people with your visit because our two nations share special ties of history and friendship and family," Bush said to the loud applause of Filipino-Americans gathered at the South Lawn.

"President Arroyo is a friend of America and a friend of freedom. I appreciate her strength, I appreciate her courage," Bush said, noting that he and Mrs. Arroyo have been working closely since they took office on the same day two years ago.

Mrs. Arroyo said she was especially pleased that the Philippines has come to be seen as a major US partner in the global war on terror.

"I welcome the support of the world, and I welcome the support of the US," she said.

If terrorism is allowed to flourish, "it will spread like SARS," said Arroyo, who said that in the Philippines "terrorism thrives, not coincidentally... in the regions that are the poorest in our country."

The Philippines has been described as a "stalwart ally" in the anti-terror battle by top US officials who hope to send a message to the Philippines and other countries of the benefits US allies would enjoy in joining anti-terror operations.

Bush said the two countries in the future would "work together on military research and development and give the Philippines greater access to American defense equipment and supplies."

Bush, while acknowledging the terrorists who plotted and carried out the Sept. 11 attacks on New York and Washington were economically comfortable, said that economic aid is an essential component in the war against terror and in the assistance being provided to Manila.

"It’s important to understand, people are susceptible to the recruitment by these extremists," Bush said.

"One of the things you got to do is make sure we distinguish between hate and poverty," he said.

"It’s not poverty that causes terrorism. Terrorism breeds poverty and poverty breeds on terrorism. They reinforce each other. That’s why I put them together," Mrs. Arroyo added.

"I came to Washington not just about terrorism, but fighting poverty, fighting – for the sake of the fight," she added. — With Marichu Villanueva, Pia Lee-Brago