By Bernama
Washington : South Korean President Lee Myung-bak will go to Camp David when he visits Washington next month for summit talks with U.S. President George W. Bush, South Korea’s Yonhap news agency quoted diplomatic sources here as saying Thursday.
Lee, who chose the United States as his first overseas destination after taking office on Feb 25, will be the first South Korean president to go to Camp David, an American presidential retreat since 1942.
Lee is also expected to address the U.S. Congress, using the opportunity to build momentum for ratification of the South Korea-U.S. free trade agreement (FTA). Four of his predecessors have also spoken before the U.S. legislature.
The South Korean leader will come in mid-April, making one-night stops in Los Angeles and New York before coming to Washington. During his four-day stay in the U.S. capital, he will meet President Bush at the White House and also at Camp David in Maryland where he will spend the last night of his trip, according to the sources.
Officials in Seoul and Washington have cautiously been discussing arrangements for a Camp David summit, which over the years have come to symbolise an especially close relationship between the U.S. and the nation of the invited leader.
Foreign leaders invited to the retreat have often been lavished with personal attention by U.S. presidents.
Elected on a conservative platform, Lee made it clear that he will seek better relations with the U.S., Washington has warmly welcomed his overtures.
American officials have been exploring a Camp David meeting since shortly after Lee’s election, hoping to cement stronger bilateral ties that go back over a half a century. Initial opposition came from those who saw some “risk” in arranging such a high-profile meeting from the very first summit with the new South Korean leader.
There have been previous attempts to invite South Korean presidents to Camp David, but they never materialized, often due to missed timing, American officials said.
“With the inauguration of the new government in South Korea, the alliance now stands at a new transition point,” one diplomatic source said, asking not to be named.
“The Camp David summit and the congressional address will mark the start of a new chapter in the relationship,” the diplomat added.
The summit opens as both nations face an uphill battle to win legislative approval of the FTA, to implement six-party agreements to denuclearise the Korean Peninsula, and to upgrade the alliance to beyond regional issues to international cooperation.
The speech to the Congress is expected to focus heavily on the FTA, aimed at garnering support from some members, mostly Democrats, who oppose the trade deal.