Bush visit to Mongolia steeped in tradition, symbolism

The country of 2.8 million contributes 160 troops to coalition forces in Iraq.
LOS ANGELES TIMES
ULAN BATOR, Mongolia -- Calling the United States and this tiny new democracy "brothers in the cause of freedom," President Bush capped a weeklong Asia tour with a highly symbolic visit Monday to a strategically placed ally.
Bush's journey to Mongolia, with its pothole-filled streets and run-down Soviet-era architecture, lasted just five hours. But it was long enough to make a statement of U.S. support that could resonate for years in a once-communist country that has fallen increasingly under the influence of China, its southern neighbor and a leading U.S. rival. Russia, directly to the north, also exerts power here.
The trip handed Bush an ideal backdrop for his latest defense of the Iraq war, as Mongolia contributes about 160 troops at a time to the U.S.-led coalition. Though the war and Bush's foreign policy have provoked anger in many nations, the United States remains relatively popular in Mongolia and other nations ruled by communism until the fall of the Soviet Union.
With a population of just 2.8 million, administration officials said Mongolia boasted the third-largest troop contingent in Iraq on a per-capita basis.
Bush quote
"Free people did not falter in the Cold War. And free people will not falter in the war on terror," Bush said, a subtle reference to critics at home who have called for a pullout of U.S. troops from Iraq.
"We see the determination to live in freedom in the courage of Iraqi and Afghan citizens who defied the terrorists to cast their ballots," Bush said, speaking to several hundred Mongolian government officials and decorated soldiers in a Spartan government auditorium. " ... And we have seen it in the daily courage of the Mongolian people, who claimed their freedom 15 years ago and are now standing with others across the world to help them do the same."
Bush peppered his remarks with traditional Mongol greetings. President Nambaryn Enkhbayar thanked Bush effusively for his presence, saying that it showed the world that "small countries like Mongolia do matter."
Bush's brief stay was steeped in Mongolian culture. He met with Enkhbayar in a traditional "ger," similar to a yurt, in the courtyard of the main government building. Looming behind the two leaders was a statue of the legendary 13th-century Mongolian warlord Ghengis Khan.
Traditional welcome
Later, with temperatures hovering in the single digits to low teens, Bush joined Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and first lady Laura Bush at a presidential retreat outside town. There, festivities took place inside cozy gers, which look like tents from the outside but are heavily decorated inside. Surrounding them were Mongol warriors clad in helmets and battle gear grasping swords. Camels, cows and yaks wandered nearby.
In one ger, heated by a wood-burning stove, the first couple met a Mongolian family that lived nearby. Bush sampled fermented mare's milk, downed some tea and tasted cheese curd. Dancers clad in elaborate costumes performed as a gong was sounded. And traditional throat singers, who create more than one sound simultaneously, serenaded the first couple.
Bush did not, however, receive the customary horse typically bestowed on visiting dignitaries. U.S. officials had made it clear that the president did not desire such a gift. Local officials had given a horse to U.S. Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld, who visited several weeks ahead of Bush. The horse remained in the country but still belongs to the defense chief.
Bush joked Monday that he had come on an "important international mission." "Secretary Rumsfeld asked me to check on his horse," he said.
The Mongolians spared no expense, perhaps in hope of a payoff. The administration's Millennium Challenge account program is weighing a Mongolian application for hundreds of millions of dollars that would go to improve transportation infrastructure and other projects.