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SINGAPORE : President George Bush said the United States is fully committed to Asia.
Speaking in Singapore on Thursday, he said the US will work to advance trade, tackle the terrorist threat and alleviate poverty in the region.
The President also stressed the Asia-Pacific countries' role in reviving the Doha Round of Talks, saying this would be the key to meeting world economic growth goals.
And he said an Asia-Pacific Free Trade Agreement deserves serious consideration.
President Bush spoke to a full house at the University Cultural Centre in Singapore.
Before getting down to business, he paid tribute to some friends in the audience including Singapore Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong.
He said: "I'm particularly pleased that my friend, the Senior Minister Goh, and his wife are with us today. Mr Minister, thank you for joining us.
"I also had a very fine meeting with Prime Minister Lee earlier. I've come to know him as a wise man. I appreciate his good counsel. He's a friend and a partner, and he's a strong voice for peace and prosperity in Asia."
Beyond the personal friendships, Singapore and US also have a history a close and enduring diplomatic ties
President Bush reaffirmed his country's involvement in what he called the fastest growing and most dynamic region in the world.
Besides the WTO Doha Talks, he sees the expansion of free and fair trade, especially through a stronger APEC, as the way to global peace and prosperity.
The US President said: "The remarkable economic growth that this region has achieved points to a clear lesson: The expansion of trade is the most certain path to lasting prosperity. America will continue to pursue trade at every level with individual countries, across all regions and through the WTO. We will work to remove barriers to trade and investment, and by doing so, we will help reduce poverty and promote stability. And we will give citizens on both sides of the Pacific a brighter future."
But one major threat to peace is global terrorism - and President Bush said he hoped to work closely with countries in the region to confront this.
He said : "The greatest danger in our world today is that these terrorists could get their hands on weapons of mass destruction and use them to blackmail free nations or to kill on unimaginable scale. This threat poses a risk to our entire civilisation and all our nations must work together to defeat it.
"In this region, the most immediate threat of proliferation comes from North Korea, America's position is clear, the transfer of nuclear weapons or material by North Korea to states or non-state entities would be considered a grave threat to the United States and we would hold North Korea fully accountable for the consequences of such actions."
While hopeful that North Korea has agreed to return to the six party talks, Mr Bush cautioned that proliferation from North Korea would not be tolerated by the US.
In the rest of the region, the President stressed the bilateral security relationships his country has with individual countries, saying they would be enhanced.
He also emphasised the importance of harnessing new energy technologies in Asia to ensure an affordable, reliable supply of energy to fuel its growth.
On the humanitarian front, Mr Bush said US aid would go beyond its efforts for disasters like the Asian Tsunami.
It was also committed to giving financial help to governments in the region who work against corruption, invest in their people and enforce the rule of law.
And the US would give its full cooperation for alleviating poverty and preparing for pandemics like the avian flu. - CNA/ch
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