Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra on Sunday headed for the United States for an 11-day visit, during which he would attend a UN summit and meet US President George Bush.

Thaksin will attend the ASEAN-UN Summit in New York Tuesday andan informal conference later, said government sources.

On Wednesday, the prime minister is scheduled to join a high-level plenary meeting marking the UN's 60th anniversary followed by a three-day General Assembly session.

He plans to meet leaders from at least eight countries on the sidelines of the meeting.

On Sept. 18, Thaksin will fly to Washington where he will meet Bush to discuss the speeding up of the free-trade agreement between Thailand and the United States and a number of other issues, The Nation newspaper reported Sunday.

The fifth round of free-trade talks is due to start in Hawaii from Sept. 27 by Thai and US trade negotiators.

Source: Xinhua