Lee to visit U.S., Latin America for multilateral summit

(ATTN: RECASTS headline; UPDATES with more details from 6th para)
By Yoo Cheong-mo
SEOUL, Nov. 10 (Yonhap) -- South Korean President Lee Myung-bak is scheduled to
visit the U.S. and Latin America from Nov. 14-25 to attend the Group of 20
financial summit and the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum summit,
the presidential office Cheong Wa Dae said Monday.
Lee will depart Friday for Washington D.C., where he is to meet with U.S.
President George W. Bush and other leaders of the Group of 20 countries to
discuss ways to tackle the worldwide financial crisis during two-day talks,
Cheong Wa Dae said.
Lee will continue on to make an official visit to Brazil on Nov. 17-20 and a
state visit to Peru on Nov. 20-21 before attending the APEC forum summit in the
Peruvian capital of Lima on Nov. 22-23, said Cheong Wa Dae.
On his way back home, Lee will stop over in Los Angeles on Nov. 24, where he will
meet with California state leaders and a group of Korean-American residents, the
office said.
Lee will return to Seoul on Nov. 26.
At the Group of 20 summit, formally titled the "summit on financial markets and
the world economy," Lee and other leaders of the world's 20 richest nations will
assess the causes of the international financial crisis and discuss cooperative
measures to prevent the recurrence of a similar credit crisis. They will also
seek ways to strengthen oversight of global financial markets, according to Lee's
spokesman.
U.S. President George W. Bush will host the summit, to be attended by the leaders
of Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India,
Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Turkey,
Britain and the European Union. U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon and chiefs of
the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank will also be on hand at
the multilateral summit.
Lee has said he will urge leaders of the Group of 20 countries to refrain from
protectionist trade policies and stick to market economic principles, as well as
make a call for a sweeping overhaul of international financial institutions, such
as the IMF.
On arriving in the U.S. on Nov. 14, Lee will hold a separate meeting with U.N.
chief Ban and a group of foreign and security policy advisers to U.S.
President-elect Barack Obama under the auspices of the Brookings Institution.
Following his three-day trip to Washington D.C., Lee will head to Brazil to hold
summit talks with Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva on Nov. 19 for
discussions on expanding bilateral cooperation in the fields of resources,
infrastructure expansion and agriculture, according to Cheong Wa Dae spokesman
Lee Dong-kwan.
President Lee will then visit the Peruvian capital of Lima for a state visit and
to attend the annual APEC summit between Nov. 20-23.
On Nov. 21, Lee will hold summit talks with Peruvian President Alan Garcia to
discuss closer bilateral cooperation in energy and infrastructure construction,
said the spokesman.
At the APEC summit, Lee will deliver a keynote speech on Nov. 23, stressing the
increasing role of Asia in the global economy and the implications of Asia's
rising economic power. Lee also plans to hold a series of bilateral summit talks
on the sidelines of the APEC meeting, said the spokesman, adding that the list of
countries invited for the planned talks will be disclosed later.
"President Lee is determined to contribute to a productive debate at the Group of
20 summit on the basis of South Korea's unique experiences in economic crises. At
the APEC summit, the president will emphasize free trade and green growth
strategies," said the spokesman.
ycm@yna.co.kr
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