OTTAWA, Nov 30 (AFP) - President George W. Bush on Tuesday opened his first official working visit to Canada, a 26-hour effort to repair ties with the top US trading partner after a sharp break over Iraq and trade disputes.
Bush arrived shortly after 10:30 am (1530 GMT) in his white-and-blue Air Force One plane, amid tight security in Ottawa ahead of anticipated protests for which demonstrators have been bused in from other Canadian cities.
US officials downplayed prospects for any breakthroughs on issues such as the US ban on most types of Canadian beef after the May 2003 discovery of a case of mad cow disease, or on fights over Canadian exports of lumber and wheat.
The US president was to meet with Canadian Prime Minister Paul Martin and hold a brief joint public appearance before sitting down with the official opposition leader, Stephen Harper.
Bush had scrapped a May 2003 visit to Canada, citing scheduling conflicts for a cancellation most observers attributed to then-Canadian prime minister Jean Chretien`s opposition to the invasion of Iraq two months earlier.
Some 58 percent of Canadians say the president`s reelection to a second four-year term early this month was a bad thing, according to an Ipsos-Reid poll for the Globe and Mail published Tuesday.
Martin was also to host a social dinner for Bush that features a main course of Canadian beef, an interesting choice at a time when the Bank of Montreal estimates that bans on Canadian beef in 30 countries have cost that industry some 4.25 billion dollars since May 2003.
Previewing the visit, White House spokesman Scott McClellan said progress had been made toward lifting the US ban but that "our first and most important priority is to make sure that our food supply is safe for the American people."
Bush was to leave Ottawa early Wednesday for Halifax, Nova Scotia, to thank Canada`s maritime provinces for harboring some 33,000 Americans stranded when the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks grounded air traffic.
"This will be an opportunity for the president to personally thank Canadians for helping those Americans who were stranded," McClellan said Monday.
"It`ll also be an opportunity to continue to talk about the war on terrorism and our shared commitment to advancing democracy and expanding prosperity and opportunity," the spokesman said.
A senior Canadian official said Bush and Martin would discuss global "hot spots" such as Haiti and Sudan, but downplayed talk of any "artificial" new agreements on major issues.
A senior US official said Bush and Martin would sign off on a joint pledge to enhance border security while speeding trade, promote cooperation on environmental issues and harmonize health and safety standards to smooth the transfer of goods and services across the US-Canadian border.
The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Washington has been pushing Canada to consider helping with Iraqi elections scheduled for January 2005 but declined to predict an announcement during Bush`s visit.
Martin has insisted that Canada will not be sending troops to Iraq to help their US counterparts, and a senior Canadian official said talks on helping with the elections were ongoing through the United Nations.
Bush could also raise the issue of an anti-missile shield the United States is constructing but for which Canada has not yet signed up.
The first US missile bases in the shield have been set up in Alaska and California -- and with Canada jammed between these two points, the question of whether Canada helps out could become a crucial and sensitive issue.
11/30/2004 17:00 GMT - AFP