Sometimes he didn't, skipping the Asian economic summit in Indonesia in 1994.

Abhisit Vejjajiva later vowed legal action against anti-government protesters "who reduced a showcase Asian summit to a shambles and exposed the nation to international embarrassment".

Some other leaders at the Asian summit said they found Mr. Bush's arguments on terrorism to be impassioned and well grounded but that his discussion of the global economy was brief and shallow.

The most common explanation for the recent flush of North Korean hostility has involved comments made by President Bush during the Asian economic summit last week in Shanghai.

During an East Asian summit in Vietnam, Foreign Minister Nyan Win confirmed Than Shwe would not be running in the election.

A second chance may come on April 22 when Mr. Koizumi and Wen Jiabao, the premier of China, are to travel to Bandung, Indonesia, for an Asian and African summit.

A Korean spokesman said that "a certain region had been over-represented" in the past; and for this Asian summit, Singapore was invited.

Mr. Bush's meeting with Mr. Putin here, on the edges of the annual Asian economic summit, was partly intended to close differences between Washington and Moscow about how to deal with Iran.

America had been invited to the Asian economic summit, as well, but wasn't expected to get the chance to provide much in the way of influence.

A26 President Clinton, in Brunei for an Asian summit, said Americans should "relax, take a deep breath" while they await the results.