That's a good point. You can't take anything for granted, and with the POTUS you can't be too careful.
By Alan Clendenning in Santiago
November 22, 2004
AN elaborate state dinner tonight for US President George W. Bush was scrapped after US and Chilean officials failed to agree on security measures at the presidential palace, Chilean media reported.
The decision came last night only hours after Mr Bush intervened in a confrontation and pulled his lead secret service agent away from Chilean security officials who barred his bodyguards from entering a dinner for 21 Pacific Rim leaders.
Mr Bush and Chilean leader Ricardo Lagos instead were to hold an informal working dinner tonight following the close of the Asian-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit, leading Chilean newspaper El Mercurio reported today.
White House deputy press secretary Claire Buchan confirmed the dinner had been downgraded to a working dinner, but did not provide additional details. The White House had been calling the originally planned event a "social dinner".
"There are always issues that are worked out with the host government," White House press secretary Scott McClellan added. He declined to discuss the matter further, referring reporters to the Chilean government.
The newspaper, citing high-level Chilean sources, said Chile was unwilling to accept security measures sought by the US secret service for today's official dinner in Santiago's ornate presidential palace.
The measures included a demand that all guests for the official dinner pass through metal detectors at the La Moneda palace, but the demand was rejected by Lagos, the newspaper and radio reports said.
Chilean media said the state dinner had been planned for 200 guests. About 20 will attend the working dinner, to be held in Lagos' private dining room in the same building.
Last night, several Chilean and American agents got into a shoving match outside the cultural centre where the dinner was held.
Mr Bush and his wife, Laura, had just posed for pictures on a red carpet with Mr Lagos and his wife, Luisa Duran.
As Bush stepped inside, Chilean agents closed ranks at the door, blocking the president's agents from following. Stopping for more pictures, Mr Bush noticed the commotion and turned back. He reached through the dispute and pulled his agent from the scrum and into the building.
The president, looking irritated, straightened his shirt cuffs as he went into the dinner.