KANANASKIS, Alberta (AP) - Leaders of the world's most powerful countries, intent on demonstrating a united front against terrorism at their annual summit, prepared a joint plan to make air travel and cargo shipments safer.
Underscoring the cooperative theme, President Bush signed legislation Tuesday allowing the United States to participate in two U.N. terrorism initiatives.
On the eve of the economic summit's opening, Bush met one-on-one with Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi and Canadian Prime Minister Jean Chretien.
Sitting side-by-side before their meeting, Bush and Chretien bantered for the cameras and played down differences over trade and border issues.
"There are some problems on occasions," Bush said. "But we've got the kind of relationship where we can be very frank about it, try to work them out and the opportunities and the benefit from the relationship far exceed — far exceed — the few problems that face it."
Chretien welcomed Bush to western Canada, noting his country's vast oil and natural gas reserves that "you guys need a lot."
At the summit, Bush hoped to build support for his new Middle East peace initiative, which calls for the replacement of Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat as a condition for creation of a Palestinian state.
"What Palestinians need is leadership — elected leadership," Bush said, standing by Chretien. He stood by Israel as it increased incursions into Palestinian territory, saying "everybody has a right to defend themselves." But, he added, "all parties must work for peace."
Chretien, while embracing Bush's push for democratic elections, declined to back the president's call for Arafat's ouster.
"I don't have a specific point of view on that," the Canadian prime minister said.
Bush and Koizumi met in a small windowless room at the resort. The leaders smiled and shook hands but neither made any comment.
Koizumi, speaking to reporters en route to Canada, expressed strong support for the initiative, calling it "proactive" and saying it would occupy significant discussion time at the summit.
The anti-terror war topped the agenda for the Group of Eight summit set to begin Wednesday. Chretien, this year's host, also hoped to devote significant attention to boosting assistance to Africa, the world's poorest continent, although U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan ( news - web sites) warned against "unrealistic expectations" and "magic success."
The White House said leaders would also issue a joint "action plan" on ways to make air travel and the transport of goods between their countries more secure, while allowing for the free flow of goods.
Chretien was the first leader to arrive at this remote resort nestled in the Canadian Rockies, his helicopter touching down Tuesday morning at a landing pad framed by snowcapped mountains.
Leaders of the other G-8 countries — the United States, Russia, Japan, Britain, Germany, France and Italy — were arriving throughout the day, landing at Calgary's airport and greeted by a Canadian honor guard before taking the 45-minute helicopter ride to the resort.
Koizumi waved his arms in appreciation of brilliant blue skies. He briefly donned his arrival gift, a white Stetson hat symbolizing Calgary's cowboy heritage.
Bush got the same treatment: Calgary Mayor David Bronconnier presented him with a white Stetson, which the president placed atop his head, drawing applause from Canadian officials and Paul Cellucci, the U.S. ambassador to Canada.
Before leaving Washington, Bush signed legislation that allows the United States to participate in two U.N. conventions, one to beef up efforts to prevent terrorist bombings and the other to choke off the flow of money to terrorist groups.
Bush in a statement said he planned to use the G-8 summit to urge all countries to intensify their efforts against terrorism.
"Working together, America and the other freedom-loving nations of the world are moving towards a day when our children can live free from the fear of terrorism and free to achieve their dreams," Bush said.
On his way to Canada, Bush stopped in Arizona to view the devastation of wildfires that have destroyed thousands of acres of forests in the West. He told a small group representing the 30,000 people who have been forced to evacuate their homes "a lot of people in our country are pulling for you."
Annan and the presidents of four African nations were invited to join in the discussions on Africa, which were expected to result in approval of an aid plan to boost support by billions of dollars for countries pursuing economic and governmental reforms.
Annan cautioned against overblown expectations about what the summit could produce, saying the new partnership between rich countries and Africa that the summit should forge would not be some type of magic formula.
This year's summit was being held under intense security, with thousands of Canadian military forces deployed to protect an eight-mile wide security zone. There was only one paved road leading to the summit site, located in a lush green mountain valley. Camouflage clad soldiers with automatic weapons were stationed at quarter-mile intervals watching Bush's motorcade arrive.
Anti-globalization demonstrators, who last year engaged in violent clashes with police in Genoa which left one protester dead, were being kept miles away from the meetings. As an alternative, they planned protest marches for Wednesday in Calgary, where reporters covering the summit were staying, and in Ottawa, the Canadian capital.
Protesters demonstrating against the Gap company, vastly outnumbered by curious residents, marched outside a downtown mall to protest labor practices at overseas factories producing clothes for the firm. Under the motto "We'd rather go naked than wear Gap," about a dozen demonstrators stripped.
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