George Bush to attend final Nato summit as US president
Monday, 31 Mar 2008 17:03
George Bush is to visit a number of eastern European countries this week
US president George Bush is travelling to eastern Europe to attend his sixth and final Nato summit.
Mr Bush described the Nato (North Atlantic Treaty Organisation) summit as "very important" and he will visit a number of countries while in Europe.
After arriving on Monday night the president will visit Ukraine, where his press official James Brady said Mr Bush would "celebrate the democratic transition that has taken hold in that country since the 2004 Orange Revolution".
The Nato summit, held in Bucharest, is set to emphasise how the Nato Alliance continues to transform itself to meet the challenges of the 21st century.
While in Romania Mr Bush will meet with the country's president Traian Basescu and attend a meeting on Afghanistan.
The US says it expects Nato nations and partners in Afghanistan to "demonstrate their firm commitment to Afghanistan over the long term, with pledges of additional contributions and renewed resolve to help Afghanistan succeed".
After the Nato summit Mr Bush will visit Croatia and on Saturday he is set to attend a meeting with Russian president Vladimir Putin.
In a parting message to Congress before he left for Europe, Mr Bush told Congress it has "a lot of work to do".
The president urged it to pass legislation including reforms to modernise the Federal Housing Administration.
