Sydney, Sept. 5 (AFP): When President George W. Bush dines with Apec host Prime Minister John Howard this week, the Australian leader had better not be serving his country’s famous prawns or fish.

“I’m a meat guy,” Bush said during a joint press conference with Howard in Sydney.

“We know that,” replied an amused Howard.

“I’m looking forward to some Australian beef,” the Texan President added after the two leaders wrapped up talks on Iraq and security ahead of the Apec summit this weekend.

Bush repeated his admiration for the Australian Prime Minister who has been a strong ally of the US leader in the unpopular war in Iraq.

And while he canvassed serious issues, such as the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan, the situation in North Korea and human rights abuses in Myanmar, he also displayed his trademark humour.

On climate change, Bush said new technologies would be developed to reduce the dependence on oil — and ease the fears of any driver worried that being green meant driving an unseemly looking vehicle. “I believe battery technologies will come along too so people in Sydney can drive the first 40 miles in their cars on batteries, without the car looking like a golf cart,” he said.