US President George W. Bush leaves Saturday for Japan, looking to ease worries there about his North Korea policies and push rich nations to do more to help Africa battle hunger and deadly diseases.
The visit, Bush's fourth to Japan since taking office in January 2001, will likely be his last before his term ends in January 2009 and certainly his final annual gathering of the Group of Eight (G8) industrialised countries. Bush, who is scheduled to leave the White House at about noon (1600 GMT), said on Wednesday that he would press for progress on global efforts to fight climate change, promote free trade, and push G8 leaders to make good on pledges to help Africa fight HIV/AIDS and other illnesses.
"We need people who not only make promises, but write checks," said the president, who will celebrate his 62nd birthday on July 6 in Japan. Bush was also expected to hold bilateral talks with Japanese Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda as well as leaders of Brazil, China, Germany, India, Indonesia, Russia, South Africa, South Korea, and seven African "observer" countries.
In addition to trying to revive global free trade talks, Bush hoped to win more support for a hardline on Zimbabwe's Robert Mugabe, and Burma's military rulers, while soothing Japanese anger at US policies towards North Korea.
Bush moved last week to take North Korea off the US list of state sponsors of terrorism, effective in 45 days, in response to North Korea's accounting last week of its nuclear programs, now under review in Washington. Some Japanese reacted angrily, accusing him of forgetting about the fate of Japanese abducted by North Korea.
"I can understand people saying, 'well, I guess this is the beginning of the end of US concern'," he said. "But I will say it again, like I have said it time and time again, this is the beginning of our concern." Of North Korean leader Kim Jong-Il, Bush said "expectations are that he will move forward, action for action" under a six-country diplomacy to address nuclear, proliferation, and abductee issues.
"If they choose not to move forward on an agreed upon way forward - action for action - there will be further isolation and further deprivation for the people of North Korea," he said.
Looking at the nuclear disputes with Iran and North Korea, Bush told Japanese media outlets: "Diplomacy has got to be the first choice of solving any of these problems. But military options remain on the table." The US president was also to push leaders at the July 7-9 G8 summit to cope with the global food crisis by boosting shipments of food, fertilizers, and seeds to afflicted countries and to reduce barriers to bio-engineered crops.
"It's one thing to talk about the problem; this is a practical way to help countries deal with the lack of food," said Bush. Bush has said that wealthy countries' restrictions on products developed through biotechnology lead farmers in poor countries to shun such crops, even though they may produce higher yields even in difficult climates.
Bush will also make the case that no global climate change pact can work unless "greenhouse gas" producing developing nations like China and India accept some form of long-term goals for curbing emissions.
Bush, who will appeal for continued help in Iraq and Afghanistan, was also expected to tackle fears over the battered US economy, including the weak US dollar, cited as a factor in soaring dollar-denominated oil costs. The G8 groups Britain, Canada, Italy, Japan, France, Germany, Russia and the United States.
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