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作者：edufo 资料来源：在职教育交流中心 点击数： 更新时间：2007-5-23 |
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Reading Passage 3
Bush to thank Canberra for support
CANBERRA, Australia (CNN) -- U.S. President George W. Bush has arrived in Australia’s capital on the last leg of his Asia trip to thank Prime Minister John Howard for his steadfast allegiance to the U.S. and support for the war on terror.
Bush will address a joint sitting of the national Parliament, visit the national war memorial and discuss trade and the terror war with Howard during his 21-hour stay.
The Australian government hopes to use the visit to advance the progress of discussions which could lead to the striking of a free trade deal between the two nations.
The Australian government has been a staunch supporter of the Bush administration’s war on terror, contributing troops and military hardware to the actions in Afghanistan and Iraq and backing the U.S. position in international forums such as the United Nations.
Bush has described Howard as a "good friend" and a "man of steel" and the two leaders appear to have established a genuine rapport.
But Bush also created a diplomatic hiccup last week by referring to Australia as a "sheriff" in the Asian region, a description which does not sit well with some of Australia’s neighbors who consider Canberra to be too closely aligned to Washington.
During his speech to the parliament, Bush is expected to thank Howard’s conservative government for its support, and justify the use of military force in Iraq.
Bush is the fourth U.S. president to visit Australia, following Bill Clinton, his father George Bush and Lyndon Johnson in making the trip Down Under.
Police are expecting around 5,000 demonstrators to attend rallies on Thursday with most voicing their anger over the Iraq war. They are also protesting the detention of Australian citizens at Guantanamo Bay military prison.
But security will attempt to prevent protestors from getting within 500 meters of the president and have banned loudspeakers being directed at the official party.
The Canberra visit is the final leg of a six-nation tour by President Bush which included attending the APEC leaders summit in Bangkok, Thailand.
The trip also coincides with a four-day visit from Chinese President Hu Jintao to Australia, although the two leaders’ paths will not cross. Hu will also address the Australian parliament.
Bush arrived in Australia from Indonesia where he spent three hours on the tourist island of Bali, the site of deadly terror bombings a year ago which killed more than 200 people, including around 90 Australians.
Bush has praised Indonesia for its support in the global war on terror and vowed to win the fight against terrorism.
"Today we pay tribute to the victims, we remember the suffering of their families and we reaffirm our commitment to win the war on terror," Bush said at a press conference on Wednesday with Indonesian President Megawati Sukarnoputri.
Before the Bali attacks last October, Indonesia -- the world’s most populous Muslim nation -- was criticized for ignoring the terrorism problem and militant Islamic extremism within its borders.
The Indonesian terrorist attacks have been blamed on the al Qaeda terror network’s arm in Southeast Asia, Jemaah Islamiyah, which has an estimated 3,000 members.
In the wake of the nightclub blasts, Jakarta doubled its efforts to crackdown on terrorism and apprehended dozens of JI suspects which earned the praise of international leaders.
While both leaders characterized their talks as productive and positive, Megawati admitted that the two leaders did not agree on every issue.
"Despite the fact that we do not always share common perspective ... we both continue to hold mutual understanding that it is to the interest of the two countries to maintain consultation and cooperation in the pursuit of global peace," Megawati told reporters.
With anti-U.S. sentiment in Indonesia at an all-time high, Bush also pushed to ease a growing gulf in attitudes towards America among Indonesia’s Muslim population.
He met with eminent Hindu, Islam and Christian leaders during the Bali stopover for frank talks described by Megawati as a "positive development".
"Both sides were in agreement about the importance of religious tolerance as one of the major pillars of democracy in Indonesia," she said at the press conference.
The U.S. president urged Indonesia not to allow terrorism to be born out of religion.
"Americans hold a deep respect for the Islamic faith," Bush said. "We know that Islam is fully compatible with liberty and tolerance and progress because we see the proof in your country."
"Terrorists who claim Islam as their inspiration defile one of the great faiths. Murder has no place in any religious tradition. It must find no home in Indonesia," he said.
-- Senior White House Correspondent John King and CNN Correspondents Atika Shubert and Dana Bash and Senior Editor Grant Holloway contributed to this report.
Reading Passage 4
Trade, N. Korea top Hu’s agenda
SYDNEY, Australia (CNN) -- Chinese President Hu Jintao has arrived in Australia for a four-day visit with talks on trade and North Korea high on the agenda.
Hu was greeted Wednesday morning at Sydney airport by Australian Prime Minister John Howard, who thanked him for his key role in attempting to defuse the nuclear standoff with Pyongyang.
"I thanked him for the very constructive role that China is playing, and we’ll have an opportunity when he’s in Australia later this week to have a further discussion," Howard said Wednesday after Hu’s arrival.
"China remains the key player," he said.
Australia is keen to forge closer economic and political ties with China, which is already a major trading partner.
Hu will attend a lunch hosted by Australia’s official head of state, Governor-General Michael Jeffery, Wednesday then meet with Australian business leaders in Sydney Thursday morning.
Australia will be hoping to build on the success of last year’s $17.5 billion deal to supply China with liquefied natural gas, and win contracts related to the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games.
But the main prize is a free trade deal with Asia’s emerging economic powerhouse.
Already two-way trade between the nations is worth around $15 billion a year, with Australia primarily exporting energy and raw commodities, such as iron ore, and importing low-cost manufactured goods.
Hu and Howard will sign a number of trade agreements on Friday in Canberra, with media tipping one of those will be a deal to begin a feasibility study into a bilateral free trade pact.
The Australian newspaper Wednesday quoted Canberra sources as saying such a study would take up to two years but that there was "a genuine willingness" on China’s part to bolster economic and trade links between the two nations.
Australia is also hoping to strike a similar deal with the United States and to pull off both deals by the end of the decade would be considered a crowning achievement for the Howard government.
Hu is scheduled to address a joint sitting of the Australian parliament on Friday, one day after U.S. President George W. Bush does the same.
The two visits have prompted a security clampdown in the national capital, although the leaders’ paths will not cross during their time in Australia.
Canberra protests are expected for Hu’s visit from supporters of the Falun Gong movement, Free Tibet activists and critics of China’s human rights record.
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