Laura Bush has canceled plans to travel with the president on a tour next month to Australia for the Asia- Pacific Economic Cooperation forum, citing a pinched nerve, her press secretarial assistant enounced in a report.

The press secretary Sally McDonough also told that Mrs. Laura Bush suffered the injury while hiking earlier this year and has been going through physiotherapy.

“Her physicians have strongly advised her to not travel overseas in order to avoid potential complication and aggravation by extended long distance travel,” McDonough also said.

The US first lady’s medical doctors advise her not to travel abroad to keep off infuriating and complicating the problem, the statement said.

Yesterday, the first lady called up Janette Howard, wife of Australia's Prime Minister John Howard to offer her regrets.

The 21-member Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation organization (APEC) is meeting in Sydney. President George W. Bush is cutting short his own schedule for the Sept. 8-9 APEC leaders summit because of a Sept. 15 deadline his administration is facing to give Congress a status report on Iraq.

Bush is scheduled to arrive in Australia Sept. 4 for conferences with Howard and many other territorial leaders and leave to get back to the United States Sept. 8.