Posted on 05/13/2006 3:05:44 PM PDT by naturalman1975
TWO young saplings will mark a new era in Australian-US relationships when Prime Minister John Howard plants them in the grounds of the Australian embassy in Washington on Sunday, watched by US President George W Bush.
The elm and maple saplings, from the grounds of the White House, are a special gift from Mr Bush to Australia.
And just as the two trees will grow to withstand the American capital's steamy hot summers and snowy winters, Mr Howard is confident the relationship between the two countries will continue to grow and flourish.
President Bush will host a black-tie dinner for Mr Howard in the White House on Tuesday night - only the seventh such honour he has accorded to a visiting leader during his two terms of office.
"I do have a very close relationship with President Bush," Mr Howard told reporters as he arrived in Washington for his second visit in less than a year.
"I like him and we think along similar lines on a lot of issues ... but ... the relationship goes beyond the personal relationship between two heads of government."
The alliance would become more important in coming years as the two countries faced the challenges of dealing with the rise of China and India in the Asia-Pacific, the challenge of Iran's nuclear program and the growing importance of the potential of nuclear energy, he said.
"All of these are the sorts of things that we'll be talking about and they're the sorts of things that an American president and an Australian prime minister should talk about on a regular basis," Mr Howard said.
Last July's trip to Washington, London and Baghdad cost the taxpayer $616,000.
No costings are available yet for this trip, during which Mr Howard and his wife Janette will spend five nights in Washington, one night in Chicago, two in Ottawa and four in Dublin.
The nuclear issue is expected to figure highly in talks during Mr Howard's current two-week trip.
Mr Howard, who will lunch with Vice-President Dick Cheney on Saturday, said he expected the issue to come up over the next few days in talks with US officials including Energy Secretary Sam Bodman and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.
Mr Howard will also be monitoring the situation in East Timor while overseas, after putting two navy ships on stand-by in case of more trouble in the fledgling nation.
Mr Howard said while there had been no request for help from East Timor, the two countries were in regular communication.
Asked whether the warships might be used to evacuate Australians, Mr Howard said that could be considered.
"In a situation like this, you think of every contingency," he said.
"We discussed the matter before I left, the relevant ministers and military, so it's something that I'll keep a very close eye on while I'm away."
Australia would be ready to help because East Timor was a friend, but would only act if asked, Mr Howard said.
"I don't want to get into the detail of it because no request has come and I hope that the situation in East Timor stabilises and that the involvement of people from outside will not be necessary."
East Timor is adamant it has no need for military assistance, despite the death of a police officer during one of two violent protests that have rocked the country in the past fortnight.
A tree planting ceremony? Is it true that President Bush kept telling Dean, "Green side up! Green side up!" ?
Bless John Howard's bringing up East Timor!
No more genocide.
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