AUSTRALIA: President Bush arrived in Australia last night for an official visit that will last less than 21 hours. It is the final leg of a six-nation Asian tour and an opportunity for Mr Bush to thank his close ally for helping in the war on Iraq, Pádraig Collins reports from Sydney.
Two Australian F-18 fighter jets escorted the President's aircraft to the capital, Canberra. Australia has mounted an unprecedented security operation for Mr Bush. Jet fighter escorts have orders to shoot down any unauthorised aircraft near Canberra.
The air force jets will patrol the city throughout the President's stay, and navy helicopters will shadow his motorcade.
With US secret service agents, counter-terrorism troops and federal police also involved in the operation, Canberra is on a high level of security in advance of a protest rally at Parliament House today.
More than 5,000 people marched through the streets of Sydney to the US consulate yesterday in a demonstration against Mr Bush.
City traffic was brought to a standstill as the protesters called for troops to be pulled out of Iraq and for the President to "go home". Smaller protests were held in Melbourne, Brisbane and other regional centres.
Mr Bush will address a joint sitting of the Australian parliament, which will be closed to the public, and is also due to meet senior ministers, attend a barbecue and visit the war memorial.
Greens leader Mr Bob Brown told the crowd on the Sydney march: "This is the Australian parliament, this is not the parliament of a dictatorship, and it is not the parliament that locks out the people who own it."
In marked contrast to Mr Bill Clinton's presidential visit, Mr Bush will not be meeting members of the public or taking questions from the press.
Australian media organisations and journalists are furious also at having been denied any place in the "close-up media pool" that will follow Mr Bush throughout his short visit. All four positions in the pool have been allocated to members of the White House press corps.
In a brief stopover in Bali earlier yesterday, Mr Bush met Indonesian President Megawati Sukarnoputri and moderate Islamic leaders.
President Hu Jintao of China also arrived in Australia yesterday and will hold talks with the Prime Minister, Mr John Howard, tomorrow.