Bush broadens diplomatic efforts on Iraq
(AP)Updated: 2006-11-28 08:15
The president is expected to urge NATO members to increase military spending at the summit in Riga. Violence has increased markedly in recent days, particularly in the southern part of Afghanistan, where the Taliban are resurgent.
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Bush is trying to persuade many European allies to contribute more for the Afghanistan effort. He'll also promote his plan to invite several major non-NATO countries, including Japan, Australia and South Korea, into some joint missions with NATO.
Bush is the first sitting US president to visit Estonia.
His brief stopover in this medieval capital was seen as a token of American gratitude for the Baltic ally's strong support in both Iraq and Afghanistan.
Unlike in most of Europe, there is hardly any public criticism here of Bush's administration or the Iraq war. A small protest by anarchists was planned in Tallinn on Tuesday but was not expected to cause any major disruption.
Bush will meet with Estonian Prime Minister Andrus Ansip and US-educated President Toomas Hendrik Ilves. Bush and Ilves planned a joint news conference.
The US president also was expected to meet democracy activists and Estonian soldiers who have served on foreign missions.
Aides said Bush also spoke by phone from Air Force One to Chinese President Hu Jintao on relations between the two countries and their recent meeting on the sidelines of a summit in Vietnam of Asian-Pacific nations. Bush also phoned former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, who was hospitalized for tests after he fainted during a rally.
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