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Bush to face S Korea protesters | Bush to face S Korea protesters |
(about 7 hours later) | |
Thousands of troops are on the streets of the South Korean capital, Seoul, ahead of a two-day visit by US President George W Bush. | |
The US leader will hold talks with President Lee Myung-bak, before flying to Beijing for the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games. | |
At least 20,000 security personnel have deployed to handle protesters angry about a controversial beef import deal. | |
Plans for a visit in July were shelved amid street protests over the issue. | |
South Korea has agreed to resume imports of US beef after a five-year suspension. But the protesters say the agreement does not protect them adequately against mad cow disease, or BSE. | |
Protests planned | |
As well as the beef deal, the US president is expected to discuss a number of issues in his meeting on Wednesday with Mr Lee. | |
A planned bilateral free trade agreement and progress in multilateral efforts to disarm North Korea are also expected to feature prominently in talks. | |
The two leaders last met in April, when they agreed the unpopular beef deal. | |
Protests over the issue had tapered off, but organisers say they expect at least 10,000 people to attend a rally tonight in Seoul. | |
Other groups plan to demonstrate against the free trade deal and the deployment of South Korean troops in Iraq, while pro-US groups also plan to turn out. | |
From South Korea Mr Bush goes to the Thai capital, Bangkok, where he is expected to address the issue of Burma. | |
Then he is due to fly to Beijing in time for the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games on 8 August. |