Bush pledges security help on Asian trip

BANGKOK, Thailand -- In a tense visit, President Bush sped through Manila streets crowded with flag-waving supporters and angry protesters on Saturday and pledged to help the beleaguered Philippines battle rising terrorism. He then brought the promise of closer military ties to Thailand.

"We will not be intimidated by the terrorists," Bush said before traveling here for an economic summit where he will encourage Pacific Rim leaders to be generous toward Iraq's postwar reconstruction.

He was greeting U.S. embassy officials here before meeting with Thai officials in advance of attending the annual Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation meeting.

Shortly before Bush's arrival late Saturday, U.S. officials laid out a proposed new $5.4 million effort to help fight terrorism in the region. Two U.S. officials would work in Manila, Philippines, with the Asian Development Bank on funding technical assistance for airport and port security, U.S. officials said on condition of anonymity.

The president was also expected to announce an upgrading of U.S. military ties with Thailand.

Later, meeting with Chinese President Hu Jintao, Bush was to argue that Beijing is keeping its currency artificially low to boost exports, hurting American sales overseas, and press for another round of regional talks designed to prod North Korea to abandon its nuclear-weapons program.

Bush's hurried stop in Manila, limited to eight hours, put security officials on edge. The Philippines and Indonesia -- where Bush will make a quick stop next Wednesday -- are considered the most likely targets in Southeast Asia for attacks by al-Qaida-linked terror groups.

In a speech to lawmakers, Bush said nations in Asia and elsewhere that choose to support terror are at war against civilization. And he said that despite its Middle East culture, democracy can flourish in Iraq just as it did in the Philippines when it became the first democratic nation in Asia nearly six decades ago.

"We know the pain of terror," Philippine President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo told Bush in a state-dinner toast at Malacanang Palace. "We know the relief brought by knowing we have faithful partners against terror."

The Manila visit opened on an ominous note when a pair of U.S. F-15 fighters appeared at Air Force One's wingtips to shepherd the plane. On the ground, the usually punctual Bush waited more than an hour at the palace while nervous security officials debated the safety of driving through packed streets to a speech at the Congress.

U.S. officials privately said demonstrators on or near the motorcade route posed the biggest problem. White House press secretary Scott McClellan said crowds had to be moved back to address Secret Service concerns about "safety issues."

Bush's motorcade raced to the speech at high speed without incident, passing thousands of well-wishers. People darted in between the cars and, at times, crowds stood within ten feet of Bush's fast-moving armored limousine.

Most appeared friendly. But security forces kept the about 4,000 university students and other activists who had marched to the Congress building, carrying streamers saying "Ban Bush" and "Bush No. 1 terrorist," out of view behind tall army trucks.

Inside the hall, one lawmaker held up a sign reading, "No War" as Bush began speaking. Seven others marched out in protest, after plans for a larger walkout fizzled.

The president gave no sign he noticed them or the demonstrators, mentioning only those "who lined the streets today for their warm and gracious welcome."

Arroyo has been a staunch supporter of Bush's anti-terror campaign. The president promised the United States would help modernize her poorly equipped army to confront terrorists.

The United States will supply 20 refurbished and already promised Huey military helicopters along with advisers and technical assistance, the kind of help -- along with joint military exercises -- that the United States has already been providing, a senior administration official said. The Philippine government was expected to come up with "hundreds of millions" of dollars, the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

Focusing on terrorism, Bush said the United States and the Philippines have suffered heavy losses. "The terrorists will continue their missions of murder and suicide until they're stopped, and we will stop them," Bush told Philippine lawmakers.

He singled out two groups in particular, the brutal Abu Sayyaf Muslim extremist group, known for kidnappings and murders, and Jemaah Islamiyah, a terror network fighting to establish a pan-Islamic state in Southeast Asia.

Bush said the United States supports Arroyo's campaign to establish a peace with another group, the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, and he urged its follows to reject terror and move forward with negotiations.

"Yet there can be no compromise with terror," Bush said. "Philippine security forces have the right and the duty to protect local communities and to defeat terrorism in every form. In the war on terror, U.S.-Philippines military alliance is a rock of stability in the Pacific."

Meanwhile, the senior administration official said Bush would announce he's upgrading U.S. military ties with Thailand, designating it a "major non-NATO ally." That status -- also recently conferred on the Philippines -- will allow the United States to provide more advanced military equipment.

"We have a common interest to make sure our countries are secure," Bush said in an interview with Nation TV of Thailand.

But Thai Foreign Minister Surakiart Sathirathai told reporters Saturday that Thailand has kept terrorism at bay on its own and needs more intelligence, not U.S. military assistance.

In Bangkok for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum, Bush plans to urge fellow leaders to help the United States in postwar Iraq. He previewed his argument before the Philippine Congress -- that a free and stable Iraq will not "threaten others or breed the ideologies of murder."

"By working for democracy, we serve the cause of peace," Bush said.

Providing good news on that front, South Korea announced Saturday it would send an unspecified number of additional troops to Iraq, and would contribute $200 million over the next four years to the reconstruction.