Bush holds further talks in Egypt
Sunday, 18 May 2008
US President George W Bush is holding further talks with Arab leaders in the Egyptian resort of Sharm el-Sheikh, on the final day of his Middle East tour.
He will meet Palestinian PM Salam Fayyad and Jordan's King Abdullah, but not Lebanon's PM as had been planned.
Mr Bush will later urge the leaders to reject Iran and Syria, whom he called "spoilers" impeding progress, in a speech to the World Economic Forum.
On Saturday, he stressed his commitment to securing a Middle East peace deal.
The president made the remarks after holding talks with his Egyptian counterpart, Hosni Mubarak, and Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas.
Reform call
In his weekly radio address, Mr Bush said that he would use his speech at the World Economic Forum on the Middle East on Sunday to again "make it clear that I believe we can get a [Palestinian] state defined by the end of my presidency".
He would also urge Arab leaders to bring about freer economic markets, enact political reforms, allow greater participation in society for women and young people, and "reject spoilers such as the regimes in Iran and Syria", he said.
"I will make clear that the only way to ensure true prosperity is to expand political and economic freedom," he added.
Mr Bush said his fellow leaders ought to "embrace the changes necessary for a day when societies across the Middle East are based on justice, tolerance and freedom" and "move past old grievances", thought to refer to Israel.
Before he arrived in Sharm el-Sheikh, Mr Bush was criticised by Egypt's state-owned newspapers for "appeasing Israel" and hardly referring to Palestinians during a speech in Israel during its 60th anniversary celebrations last week.
He therefore spent much of Saturday working hard to convince the Arab world that he is "absolutely committed" to a lasting Israeli-Palestinian peace deal.
"It'll be an opportunity to end the suffering that takes place in the Palestinian territories," he said after holding talks with Mr Abbas
"It breaks my heart to see the vast potential of the Palestinian people really wasted. They are good, smart capable people who when given a chance will build a thriving homeland," he added.
"I commit to you once again that my government will help achieve a dream, a dream that you have, and the truth of matter is, a dream that the Israelis have, which is two states living side by side in peace."
Mr Bush had dinner with Mr Abbas on Saturday night. In their brief comments to the media ahead of the meal, there was no suggestion from Mr Abbas that he was losing faith or patience with the US.
Mr Abbas said he was confident of Mr Bush's dedication to the goal of a final deal. The Israeli Prime Minister, Ehud Olmert, did not attend the meetings although he did send a delegation led by Defence Minister Ehud Barak.
The BBC's Christian Fraser in Sharm el-Sheikh says there is general acknowledgement among negotiators that there will need to be some heavy lifting to achieve the rather lofty ambitions set out at Annapolis in November.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/7406868.stm