LONDON - Amid concern that al-Qaeda extremists may cover as anti-war protesters, Britain is implementing high-cost security measures to ensure the safety of US President George W. Bush during a visit here next week, a senior police official said Wednesday.
The increased security will cost Britain five million pounds (8.4 million dollars), a price that should be paid by British authorities, according to London police official Richard Barnes.
"This is a national visit. He has been invited by the government and the Queen. It is the nation that should pay for it," Barnes, London police's number two, told BBC radio.
"This should not fall on the ratepayers of London," he said.
White House planners have reportedly pressed British authorities to virtually shut down most of central London in a major security operation during Bush's visit.
According to Barnes, "there must be a clear command structure" during the US president's stay, so that there is no confusion between US security forces and "the Home Secretary and the Commissioner that are in charge of the security" in Britain.
Anti-war protesters have accused the government of blocking their right to protest in central London against Bush's visit from November 18 to 21, behind the front of anti-terrorism security measures.
In February an estimated one million people marched through London in the run-up to the US-led invasion of Iraq.
A clear 60 percent majority of British voters think Bush was wrong in the way he dealt with Iraq, according to a poll published Tuesday.
Bush will stay at Buckingham Palace, Queen Elizabeth II's official residence, and will also have talks with Prime Minister Tony Blair, his staunchest ally in the Iraq war.
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