Bush uses Olympic trip to assure, pressure

WASHINGTON, Aug. 4 (UPI) -- U.S. President George Bush headed to the Beijing Olympics Monday, trying to both push China on human rights and reassure China's neighbors, observers said.

Besides cheering U.S. Olympians, Bush is expected to urge Chinese President Hu Jintao to use an expected round of talks to invite the exiled Tibetan spiritual leader Dalai Lama to return to Tibet and participate more in making the region's development more equitable for Tibetans, The Wall Street Journal reported Monday.

Bush also is expected to try to reassure China's neighbors. Before arriving in Beijing, he will discuss free trade in Seoul and deliver a major speech in Bangkok.

"Not many presidents could say, in the history of U.S. diplomacy, that relations with South Korea, Japan, China and Thailand are strong and robust," Bush said recently a news conference with Asian reporters. "A lot of times, if you're friends with one, you made it hard to be friends with another."

The speech in Bangkok is aimed at East Asia broadly, White House officials told the Journal. It is expected to highlight U.S. relations and improvements with vital countries, such as India and Indonesia, and underscore advances in political freedoms in places such as Mongolia.