Leaders of 21 pacific rim countries are meeting in Peru. They’re looking for some optimism amid the global economic crisis. President Bush said, “recovering from the financial crisis is going to take time. But we'll recover, and in so doing, begin a new era of prosperity.”
He went on to say, “now that I'm headed to retirement my last trip is to APEC here in lima.
His famously informal approach to the protocols of diplomacy were on display abroad for the last time.
The president used his formal goodbye to his fellow APEC leaders to lay out his guiding economic principals one last time. President Bush says, “I think we ought to focus our efforts on three great forces for economic growth: free markets, free trade, and free people.”
He chided the U.S. Congress for its inaction on free trade pacts with Colombia, South Korea and Panama.
“The verdict of history is unmistakable: the greater threat to prosperity is not too little government involvement in the market -- it is too much,” said President Bush.
APEC countries represent 40 % of the world's population and more than half of global economic output. So while the immediate focus on repairing the world economy is clear... the summit may be remembered more for a warm goodbye.
Stephen Harper, Canada’s Prime Minister says, “Laureen and I certainly wish Laura and you all the best if I don't see you again before the 20th of January.”
Famously resistant to any kind of analysis, when it comes to his emotions, even his aides describe him as wistful. They told reporters that Mr. Bush told China's president Hu, he felt "a little nostalgic" because it was their last meeting as heads of state.