WASHINGTON (AFP) - US President George W. Bush will leave the June 1-3 summit of major industrialized nations in France early in order to travel to Egypt for a meeting with Arab leaders, the White House confirmed.
"He'll be there for all the main events, not all events," said Bush spokesman Ari Fleischer. "The French were notified yesterday about the duration for which the president will be there."
Bush, who was angered by French President Jacques Chirac's opposition to the war in Iraq, "is looking forward" to seeing his host in the spa town of Evian, said Fleischer, who declined to confirm a bilateral meeting.
"The fact of the matter is our relationship has undergone some strain. But there is much important business for the United States and France to attend to," and the US leader heads to Evian "in a spirit of alliance," he said.
Bush leaves Friday, heading first to Poland, then St Petersburg, Russia; the Group of Eight summit; Egypt for a June 3 meeting with Arab leaders; Jordan for a three-way gathering June 4 with the Israeli and Palestinian prime ministers; and Qatar on June 5 to cheer US troops that fought in Iraq.
French authorities said earlier that the US leader and Chirac would have a bilateral meeting at the G8, which groups Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia, and the United States.
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