[NYTr] Armed APEC troops descend on Sydney ahead of Hated Bush

[All the News That Doesn't Fit]

Southnews - Aug 28, 2007


Members of the Australian Defence Force (ADF) will be practising for 
Sydney's APEC conference with a series of exercises in Sydney today and 
tomorrow.

The ADF says several helicopters will fly in formation to practice 
delivering soldiers to areas around the city during the day and night.

The soldiers will be armed and may use practice ammunition during the 
training.

The APEC summit will last from September 2-9.

                               ***

AAP August 27, 2007

Bush's early arrival will cost $4m

US President George W. Bush's early arrival for next week's APEC summit 
would cost NSW taxpayers about $4 million, NSW Premier Morris Iemma
said today.

Mr Iemma said the extra policing and security arrangements required for 
the President would cost $2 million a day from the time he arrived in 
Sydney on September 4.

The APEC leadership summit, to be attended by 21 leaders, will be held 
from September 7 to 9.

Mr Bush is expected to be given a state welcome and will hold talks
with Prime Minister John Howard before the start of the summit.

He will leave the APEC meeting earlier than scheduled to attend the 
sixth anniversary of the September 11 attacks in New York and
Washington and prepare for a crucial September 15 progress report on
Iraq.

Mr Iemma said the extra Sydney public holiday on Friday, September 7, 
would cost taxpayers $10 million.

He said the President's early arrival would see them slugged another $4 
million.

"There are some flow-on costs to the NSW taxpayer flowing from the 
public holiday - that's around $10 million,'' Mr Iemma said on Sky News.

"And with the President of the United States arriving two days early 
there's approximately $2 million per day in policing costs for Mr
Bush's early arrival.''

Mr Iemma would not say whether authorities were aware of any specific 
terror threats over the APEC summit.

And he reiterated that protests must be peaceful.

"What I can say is that preparations are being made to ensure the
safety of our visitors as well as our citizens who will be in and
around the areas of APEC,'' he said.

"And we've made it very clear people have got a right to turn up and to 
protest and make whatever point they want to make, but (that) they do
so peacefully.''

                          ***

ABC Online, Australia  Sat Aug 25, 2007
http://abc.net.au/news/stories/2007/08/25/2015063.htm

PM blames violent protesters for tough APEC security

Prime Minister John Howard says violent protesters are to blame for the 
severe security measures in place for the APEC meeting in Sydney.

New South Wales police have installed a security fence around parts of 
the Sydney central business district, acquired a new crowd-control
water cannon and freed up prison cells in anticipation of a large
number of arrests.

But Mr Howard denies the severe measures might actually incite violence.

"That is a common excuse by those who seek to take the law into their 
own hands," he said.

"If people didn't violently demonstrate, these precautions would not be 
necessary.

"But they violently demonstrated in Melbourne, police were injured and
I fully support the efforts of New South Wales and Commonwealth police.

Mr Howard says he will be meeting with United States President George W 
Bush and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on the Saturday of the APEC 
weekend.

He says he will be hosting an informal breakfast with both leaders as 
part of the trilateral security dialogue.

Mr Howard says the two visiting countries have much in common with 
Australia.

"That dialogue is not aimed at anybody but it expresses the fact that
as strong cooperating democracies we do have some common interests in
the Pacific region and it's an opportune time to have that meeting," he
said.