Bush's meetings: Smiles, no questions

by Mark Silva

SHARM EL-SHEIKH, Egypt -- Sometimes, the president and his counterpart from another nation deliver a few remarks after their meetings. Sometimes they just smile.

But seldom do they take any questions.

A "pool" of reporters follows the president around at these sessions. This was the pool outside the presidential villa where they met.

"I didn't hear you,'' President Bush said gently to a pool reporter who called out a question following his appearance with the prime minister of Pakistan this morning on the close-cropped lawn of the presidential villa of the Hyatt Regency resort on the shore of the Red Sea where Bush was conducting several bilateral meetings today.

Bush and Prime Minister Syed Yusaf Raza Gilani had had a "very candid discussion'' inside the villa, the president assured us in this appearance, with a view of a kidney-shaped swimming pool and the Red Sea beyond on this cloudless warm day.

President Bush and Prime Minister Gilani.

"One area where our discussions can be productive is to concentrate on economic matters,'' Bush said -- to "make it harder... for terrorists... to find safe haven.''

Relations between the U.S. and Pakistan "are good'' and "will continue to be good,'' Bush affirmed.

The prime minister, however, was a little more specific about the problems they had discussed inside - the economy, "the food problem,'' energy and "the common problem... terrorism and extremism.'' Noting that he is the first democratically elected prime minister, Gilani said: "I lost my own great leader, Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, because of terrorism.''

We heard much less, however, out of the meeting with King Abdullah II, of Jordan. In fact, we heard nothing. We were led into the second floor sitting room of the villa, with a sweeping view of the sea, to find the president and king seated side by side, with their retinues in a circle. Most smiled, some stared blankly, for the photo opportunity. We had the same show with the Palestinian prime minister, Salam Fayyad.

Nothing but a photo op here: President Bush, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, U.S. Ambassador to Jordan David Hale, presidential chief of staff Josh Bolten. The Red Sea serves as backdrop outside.