October 20, 2003	Monday	Sha'aban 23, 1424

BANGKOK, Oct 19: US President George W. Bush rewarded Thailand on Sunday for supporting the war on terror and told other nations gathering for a Pacific Rim summit they too had to bind together to end the threat.

Bush began his day by meeting with Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra of Thailand, which he thanked for backing the US-led invasion of Iraq and praised as a stalwart ally in the global war on terrorism.

He hailed the role of Thai forces in the capture of Hambali, the alleged operational chief of Al Qaeda-linked Jemaah Islamiyah and suspected mastermind of the October 2002 Bali nightclub bombings that killed more than 200 people.

“Mr Prime Minister, the world is safer because of that. And I want to thank you, and I want to thank you for your support in Iraq,” said Bush, who announced plans to make Thailand a “major US non-Nato ally.”

That will enhance Thailand’s access to US military assistance and draw it into an exclusive club that includes Argentina, Australia, Bahrain, Egypt, Israel, Japan, New Zealand, the Philippines and South Korea.

The Philippines was the last such country to receive the designation, on October 6. The Bush administration says it hopes to grant that status to Kuwait by the end of the year.

Bush also said the United States would not sign a non-aggression pact with North Korea to end its nuclear weapons programme but, for the first time, held out the possibility of giving Pyongyang some sort of security guarantee. His comments set the tone for the two-day summit of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum beginning in the Thai capital on Monday with US concerns on terror and nuclear proliferation likely to dominate the agenda.

Some Asian nations say they would prefer to concentrate on promoting trade, the original goal of APEC when the 21-member group was formed in 1989, especially after the collapse of world trade talks in Cancun, Mexico, last month.

Washington has agreed to discuss trade but says growth and prosperity are not possible without ensuring security, a line it has pursued since the September 11, 2001, attacks.

“This is still a dangerous world,” Bush told reporters, using the broadcast of a new audio tape purportedly recorded by militant leader Osama bin Laden to bolster his case.

Usually teeming Bangkok was quiet and under a shroud of security as Bush held meetings and visited one of the city’s most important Buddhist sites. He took off his shoes and walked hand-in-hand with his wife Laura around the 200-year-old shrine.

Police blocked off several roads in the city of 10 million people and prevented a group of about 2,000 anti-globalisation and anti-war protesters from going anywhere near the visiting dignitaries. Bush promised to launch negotiations with Thailand on a comprehensive free trade agreement, which would be of immense value to the Southeast Asian nation as it seeks to secure markets for its agricultural products.

He made it clear it was a reward for helping the United States in the war on terror, most visibly demonstrated by Thailand’s capture of Al Qaeda leader Hambali in August.

“Thailand pledged to fight the war on terror, and that pledge is being honoured in full,” Bush said. “The United States of America has made its choice. The Kingdom of Thailand has made its choice. We will meet this danger,” he told soldiers of the Royal Thai Army.

APEC members include Japan, Peru, Chile, Australia, New Zealand, tiny Papua New Guinea and a clutch of southeast Asian nations. Several in the group are struggling to contain militancy within their borders, including Indonesia, the world’s most populous Muslim country, Russia and the Philippines.

The group also includes nations which clashed bitterly in Cancun, causing the collapse of negotiations deemed crucial to completing the so-called Doha round of World Trade Organisation talks by the end of 2004.

APEC foreign and trade ministers reached broad consensus on Saturday on the need for fresh efforts to put the derailed talks back on track, although few believed there was more on offer than rhetoric.

Still, the summit will offer a chance for the United States, China, Russia, Japan and South Korea — all of which are attending — to discuss the North Korean nuclear issue.

For the first time, Bush left the door open to providing security assurances to persuade North Korea to give up its nuclear ambitions but ruled out a formal non-aggression treaty of the kind the reclusive communist country wants.

“If we think there’s an opportunity to move the process forward we will discuss it with our partners. We will not have a treaty,” Bush said. “That’s off the table.”—Reuter/AFP