President Arroyo delivers departure statement before leaving for US for meeting with US President Barack Obama

MANILA - President Arroyo left Manila on a Philippine Airlines flight Wednesday afternoon for a meeting with US President Barack Obama in Washington DC on July 30 (July 31 in Manila).

Arroyo is the first Southeast Asian leader to be invited by Obama to visit Washington, both governments have stressed.

”High on our agenda will be peace and security issues, including ways to continue to strengthen regional cooperation on anti-terrorism, particularly in the light of the recent Jakarta, Indonesia bombing," Arroyo said, prior to boarding. 

Arroyo had earlier said that the meeting would focus on peace and security issues including terrorism. (Read: Arroyo says US trip to focus on terrorism) 

Arroyo said she would also tackle the global economic crisis and climate change in her US visit.

She was joined by Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita, other Cabinet members and some lawmakers.

Mrs. Arroyo’s flight will take her to Vancouver in Canada where she would then board a chartered flight to San Francisco, California.

Press Secretary Cerge Remonde said Mrs. Arroyo would arrive at Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland Wednesday (US Eastern time) early evening.

Meetings

On Thursday, President Arroyo will have successive meetings with US Director of National Intelligence retired US Admiral Dennis Blair and Texas Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee.

She will then attend a lunch reception with leaders of the RP-US Friendship Caucus before the meeting with Obama.

Remonde said that after the meeting with the US president, Mrs. Arroyo would also attend a stakeholders' forum on the Coral Triangle, an environmental protection

President Arroyo and husband FG Jose Miguel 'Mike' Arroyo wave before both board flight for Vancouver in Canada

project.

On Friday, Mrs. Arroyo is also set to hold meetings with US Attorney General Eric Holder and US Secretary of Transportation Raymond LaHood.

LaHood and Arroyo will witness the signing of a memorandum of understanding on cooperation in maritime counter-piracy training and education.

She will also hold meetings with two US Senators Daniel Inouye and Daniel Akaka of Hawaii, and with US Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki.

She is scheduled to depart Washington DC Saturday morning for New York.

Human rights

Arroyo’s meeting with Obama has not been met without criticism. Philippine civic and opposition leaders have issued an open letter to Obama urging him to take up the problems of human rights violations in the Philippines in his meeting with Mrs. Arroyo. (Read: Obama urged: Press Arroyo on human rights )

Obama himself was criticized in an editorial by a US publication for inviting Mrs. Arroyo.

A US -based human rights group has also announced the launching of protest actions in Washington DC to coincide with the visit of Mrs. Arroyo to Obama at the White House on July 30.

Washington considers the Philippines a major non-NATO ally, and has been providing assistance and training to help its military crush Al Qaeda-linked Abu Sayyaf militants blamed for the country's worst terrorist attacks.

Since 2003, small numbers of US forces have been rotating in the southern Philippines, providing intelligence that has led to the capture or killing of top militants.

Arroyo's visit also comes at a time when Southeast Asian neighbors -- particularly the Philippines and Indonesia -- are increasing their intelligence cooperation after a spate of deadly bombings blamed on militants.

A July 17 bombing of two luxury hotels in Jakarta, killing seven, has been blamed on the Jemaah Islamiyah (JI), an Islamist group believed by intelligence agencies to be Al-Qaeda's Southeast Asian arm.

The group is believed to have also helped the Philippines-based Abu Sayyaf group to carry out bombings on the southern island of Mindanao early this month in which eight people were killed and over 100 injured.