Bush wraps up Middle East visit

TOUR ENDS: Bush wound down his regional tour, with Iran, oil and peace the key points of his visit. (Getty Images)

US president George W. Bush wrapped up a Middle East trip on Wednesday with Iran, peace and oil the key issues dominating the agenda.

In his final stop before returning to Washington, Bush arrived in the Red Sea resort of Sharm El-Sheikh to meet with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak.

The Egyptian government is one of Washington's closest friends in the Arab world but Bush and Mubarak have not met for more than four years, Egyptian officials said.

Bush has been telling regional allies that Iran is a threat, Israeli-Palestinian peace efforts need support, and high oil prices are in no one's interest.

He spent two nights in Saudi Arabia stressing close personal ties, and raised concern about the high price of oil with the leader of the world's biggest oil exporting country.

"The president reiterated the issue of there being tight supply and very high and rising demand, not just in America but around the world, especially in India and China," Perino said.

"This is not a situation that's going to be solved overnight," she said, adding that Bush has been "pursuing aggressively alternative and renewable forms of energy".

Last week Bush made his first presidential visit to Israel and the occupied West Bank and said he expected the two sides to sign a peace treaty before he leaves office in January 2009.

He tried to rally Arab support for peacemaking efforts, including reaching out to Israel, during his visit to Gulf allies including Kuwait, Bahrain and the UAE.

"They wanted to make sure that the efforts by the United States were real," Bush said on Tuesday.

Saudi Arabia, considered a linchpin in any broader Israeli-Arab reconciliation, criticised Israel for settlement expansion and suggested it had no immediate plans to take any significant new steps toward Israel.

"I don't know what kind of outreach we can have for the Israelis but to offer a peace plan for the region," Saudi foreign minister Saud Al-Faisal said at a news conference with US secretary of state Condoleezza Rice.

An Arab summit last March reiterated a 2002 offer of peace with Israel if it returned occupied land.

Bush has also been trying to shore up support against Iran, and he told allies that he still considered Tehran a threat despite a US National Intelligence Estimate that said Iran stopped its nuclear weapons program in 2003.

"I have spent a fair amount of time on Iran in every stop," Bush said on Tuesday.

"I just made it clear that all options are on the table, but I'd like to solve this diplomatically... and talked about making sure consistent messages emanated from all parts of the world to the Iranians," Bush said.

Analysts say that while Washington's Arab allies are wary of Iran's growing influence in the region, they do not want to see a US military confrontation with Tehran.

"Iran is a neighbouring country and important in the region. Naturally, we have nothing bad towards Iran," the Saudi foreign minister said. "We hope that Iran also responds to the international legitimacy requirements." (Reuters)

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READERS' COMMENTS

Bush wraps up visit
Posted by Hombil, Muscat, Oman on Thursday 17 January 2008 at 09:26 UAE time

Your report says that Bush wrapped up his visit with Iran, peace and oil the key issues dominating the agenda. I agree he discussed Iran and Oil issues with most leaders and also took the opportunity to warn Iran yet once again; but peace? No, I would not agree that he wholeheartedly discussed peace between Israel and Palestine. Also if he is worried about peace in the region, he would not be repeatedly harping on the Iran issue and support Israel. In fact, after his visit, Israel has become more vocal in warning Iran. Peace in the region with US help while Bush is the president - it will remain a dream!

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