KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia, July 16 (UPI) -- Trade and terror are expected to dominate discussions when Malaysian Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi makes his first official visit to Washington next week.
Abdullah is scheduled to meet President George Bush on Monday, with talks likely to focus on a trade agreement signed in May between the two countries and the war on terrorism.
The prime minister is also scheduled to meet Secretary of State Colin Powell and U.S. Trade Representative Robert Zoellick.
Dana Dillon, a Southeast Asian analyst at the Heritage Foundation, said Bush's invitation to the prime minister of Malaysia, a progressive and moderate Muslim country, emphasized that the war on terrorism is not against Islam, the Malaysian news agency Bernama reported Friday.
"As chairman of the Organization of the Islamic Conference, Abdullah's role is important because he is the voice of a moderate Muslim country. There is a big difference between disagreeing with and hating the U.S., they are two separate issues," said Dillon.
