Peru: Lima Bush transformed into a stronghold for the APEC summit

U.S. President George Bush arrived Friday in Lima, transformed into a stronghold on the eve of the 16th Summit of the Forum of Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) attended this weekend including presidents and Russian Dmitri Medvedev Chinese Hu Jintao.

Mr. Bush, which is the last APEC summit before the end of his term in January, met in the evening President Hu Jintao. The two leaders conversed on measures to accelerate the process of denuclearization of North Korea, announced the White House. "The leaders discussed the importance of formalizing the verification protocol of the six-party talks, which will eventually lead to a denuclearized peninsula," said the spokesman for the White House, Dana Perino. Bush will also have talks with his Russian counterpart and Prime Minister of Japan Taro Aso. A thousand demonstrators marched Friday in central Lima to the sounds of drums and Andean flutes to the union's appeal left CGTP to protest against the presence of U.S. president in Peru, accusing it of being behind of the current economic crisis. "Bush out", "war criminal", shouted the demonstrators contained by major police forces. Brandishing pictures of "Che" Guevara and waving red flags, they called for a "popular trial" for his "warlike attitude". "This is a meeting where we, the poor, have no place", launched Dionisio Gamez, a textile worker. After his arrival in Lima, President Hu met with Taiwanese envoy Friday. This was the meeting of the highest level abroad between Chinese since the separation in 1949 of Communist China and Taiwan, according to both parties. The interview with Mr. Hu the former leader Lien Chan, Honorary Chairman of Kuomintang Nationalist Party in Taiwan, was held for 40 minutes in a hotel in the Peruvian capital, said a journalist from AFP. Approximately 100,000 men, police and military, were mobilized across the territory to deal with possible demonstrations or terrorist attacks. Three rings of security have been established around the "Pentagonito" (the little Pentagon), the headquarters of the army, a former torture center under the presidency of Alberto Fujimori (1990-2000) where the summit will take place. APEC leaders should call for the opening of the market despite the economic crisis and a common front against any temptation of protectionism. Mr. Bush, who will pass power to his successor, Democrat Barack Obama in January, wants the support of the Apec positions of the G20. The summit should address, in addition to the financial crisis and trade liberalization, cooperation on security (anti-terrorism), food safety, environmental protection and climate change. The APEC forum dedicated since its inception in 1989 to promote free trade, has 21 members (Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, China, USA, Indonesia, Japan, Hong Kong, South Korea, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Peru, Philippines, Russia, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam). It collect 41% of the global population or 2.6 billion people and represents 61% of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and 47% of the planet.