World leaders to cheer athletes

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(Agencies/chinadaily.com.cn)
Updated: 2008-07-07 09:40

US President George W. Bush, left, and Japanese PM Yasuo Fukuda arrive for a joint press conference at the G-8 summit, July 6, 2008 in the lakeside resort of Toyako, Japan. [Agencies]

US President George W Bush Sunday defended removing North Korea from the list of state sponsors of terrorism, and once again made clear he will attend the opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympics as world leaders assembled to address soaring gas prices, climate change and African aid in Japan.

At a news conference with Japanese Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda, Bush explained his decision to attend the opening ceremony on August 8 in Beijing. British Prime Minister Gordon Brown has said he will attend the closing ceremony, as London will be the host of the 2012 Summer Games.

The Associated Press reported that German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper planned to skip the Beijing event, and French President Nicolas Sarkozy is considering not attending.

"The Chinese people are watching very carefully about the decisions by world leaders and I happen to believe that not going to the opening ceremony for the games would be an affront to the Chinese people, which may make it more difficult to be able to speak frankly with the Chinese leadership," Bush said.

Fukuda announced that he also intended to go.

"There are many aspiring athletes that will be going to Beijing, and I would like to cheer them on, too, which I think is only natural. I don't think you really have to link Olympics to politics," the prime minister said.

The leaders of the US, Japan, Britain, Germany, France, Canada and Russia planned to kick off the meeting Monday at a remote mountaintop resort overlooking a lake formed by a volcanic crater on the northern Japanese island of Hokkaido. The session ends Wednesday with a larger gathering that brings in eight additional countries -- Australia, Brazil, China, India, Indonesia, Mexico, South Korea and South Africa.

Before the G-8 talks, Bush planned to meet with Russia's new president, Dmitry Medvedev, who took office last month. White House aides said Bush hoped to bring up areas were the two countries could cooperate more, including missile defense and Russia's bid to join the World Trade Organization.

Analysts said that Medvedev's G-8 appearance could help him make the case he is emerging from his predecessor Putin's shadow, and carving out a leadership role.

US Republican presidential candidate John McCain has urged stripping Russia of its G-8 membership because of autocratic steps by Mr. Putin, the Associated Press reported. Neither Bush nor Democratic presidential contender Barack Obama shares the view.

Bush also addressed Japanese concerns over the kidnapping of Japanese citizens by North Korea in the 1970s and 1980s.

Japanese citizens are upset about the US move to remove North Korea from the State Department's terror blacklist in exchange for North Korea's decision to admit to some of its nuclear weapons work and begin dismantling its nuclear facilities.

As a condition for sending aid and improving relations with the impoverished North, Japan long has pushed for the resolution of the issue of the abductions.

Bush recalled a White House meeting a few years ago with Sakie Yokota, the mother of a 13-year-old Japanese girl kidnapped by North Koreans agents on her way home from school in 1977. "As a father of little girls, I can't imagine what it would be like to have my daughter just disappear," Bush said at the news conference. "So, Mr. Prime Minister, as I told you on the phone when I talked to you and in the past, the United States will not abandon you on this issue."

Bush said the two leaders also talked about the gloomy economy. Many of the world's older economic powers are suffering from low growth.

"With regard to soaring food and oil prices, which are having negative impact on the world economy, we agreed there's a need for expeditious efforts on these fronts," he said.

The US economy, he said, "is not growing as robustly as we'd like. ... We're not as strong as we have been during a lot of my presidency." He hoped the economic aid checks going out to many in the US "will continue to have a positive effect."