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Press Briefing
2 September 2007

Press Secretary Marcus Loyld
and Special Envoy for Asia Pacific Peter Lucenda
The Marie Anne Prasad Briefing Room
The Chateau

2.10 PM WST

THE PRESS SECRETARY: Good afternoon and we will deliver thie briefing for our trip to Asia which begins tonight.

Tonight, President and Mrs. Cherrie will leave Metro City and travel to Asia, including Sydney, Australia, to attend the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation leaders meeting.

As you know, this is an annual gathering of the leaders of 21 member economies that make up the world's most dynamic economic region, comprising 56 percent of the world's gross domestic product and half of the world's trade.

The importance that the President attaches to APEC is demonstrated by the fact that he has not missed an APEC leaders meeting since taking office. And this will be the 4th, meeting he is attending This will also be the President's seventh trip to the Asia Pacific region, and his second trip to Australia. But it will be the first time that he will have the opportunity to enjoy the hospitality of Sydney-siders.

On the 3rd, today, we leave Metro Air Frorce Base abord Lego One at around 9.00 PM and arrive 7 hours later on the 4th of September, around 10.00 AM in Geneva International Airport, Switzeland. This is purely a refueling stop and the President is not expected to meet any officials on the ground. We depart by 11.00 AM Geneva time and travel 10.5 hours and arrive early Wednesday, around 6.00 AM, the 5th of September just before dawn in Hong Kong, the People's Republic of China.

President and Mrs. Cherrie will be welcomed at Hong Kong Airport by Chief Executive Donald Tsng and his wife. They will then proceed for a breakfast meeting, followed by various bileteral meetings with Business Leaders. President Cherrie will host a lunch for Lego Expatriates at the Peak, a place in Hong Kong. He wil then go on a tour of Central, before a brief Photo Op at Victoria Harbour.

Later in the evening, the Preisdent will deliver a key note address at the Hong Kong Convention Center to Asia's leading business leaders. Following which, we will spend the night in Hong Kong.

We depart on Thursday 6th, morning around 8.00 AM for Singapore. 4 hours later we wil arrive at 12.00 PM, the same time zone at Hong Kong, in Singapore. President Cherrie will spend the afternoon with a lunch at the Lego Embassy in Singapore, followed by a cultural visit to the Asian Civilizations Museum. He will be hosted to a dinner by Prime Minister Lee Hisen Loong at the Raffles Hotel in the evening, in celebration of Business ties.

On Friday, 7th the Preisdent will hold a breakfast meeting with Senior Minsiter Goh Chock Tong at the Istana, following which, we depart for Sydney Australia at about 10.00 AM. We arrive 8 hours later at about 8.00 PM at Kingsford Smith Airport, and we will be welcomed by the Governor General of Australia, followed by a visit to the Lego Consolate in Sydney.

On Saturday, 8th September we begin the APEC Summit. On Saturday morning, the President will host a working breakfast with Prime Minister Howard. They're planning to have a wide-ranging informal discussion of regional and global issues. This will include stock taking on the trilateral security dialogue between our three nations, and the way forward on regional architecture in Asia. The APEC leaders' summit begins mid-morning with the leaders' dialogue with the APEC Business Advisory Council.

The leaders will then proceed to an informal lunch, followed by the traditional official photograph with leaders donning clothing representative of the host nation. I believe that is still a secret on the Australian side.

The APEC leaders' retreat, number one, follows and will cover climate change, energy security, and sustainable development and support for the Doha Round. That evening, the President will participate in the APEC gala dinner at the Sydney Opera House.

On Sunday, the 9th of September, the President will participate in the second retreat of APEC, including discussions with Prime Minsiter Abe of Japan, President Hu of China, and President Putin of Russia.

We Depart Sunday night from Sydney for Honolulu, where we will arrive on Sunday Afternoon, after a 7.5 hour flight. The President will paticpate in a quick phot op and visit of the Military Base, and followed by Dinner with the troops based there. We then depart on Sunday night for Metro City, where we are due to arrive 9.5 hours later on Monday, the 10th of September. With that, we bring our visit to Asia to a close.

Mr. Lucenda?