A maze of security barriers at the Convention Center at Darling Harbor, ready for next week's Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Sydney, the largest political gathering Australia has ever hosted, with security unprecedented. AP Photo by Rob Griffith.
by Mark Silva
The Pacific Rim summit in Sydney, Australia, next week is likely to mean one thing for the people of one of the world's most beautiful harborside cities: A virtual lockdown.
The security surrounding summits of 21 presidents and prime ministers can make for gridlock, but this one will be Australia's biggest ever, with 16-foot fences raised around some of Sydney's downtown buildings in preparation, and President Bush's motorcade alone is street-clogger.
David Speers of Sky News asked Bush about this as he prepares to depart for Sydney next week. "A lot of Sydneysiders are complaining about the impost of APEC,'' the reporter told Bush, "in particular your security detail and how that will affect the city for a week while you're there, almost a week while you're there. Do you have any message for them?
"Well, first I'm looking forward to coming to the beautiful city, and to the extent that I inconvenience them, I apologize,'' Bush said. "I'm not exactly sure what you're talking about, in terms of ...
"The security lockdown in the city,'' the reporter explained.
"Thank you for sharing that with me,'' Bush said. "I got a lot on my mind, and one of the things that's on my mind is I'm looking forward to coming to one of the most beautiful cities in the world. If I inconvenience people, that's not my intent. My intent is to represent my country in an important meeting in a country that I admire a lot and a country with whom we've got great relations..
"I hope people understand why it's done,'' he said of the security, "and I just hope it doesn't disrupt their lives too much.''
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