US President George W. Bush began meeting Arab leaders in the Middle East yesterday to launch the most ambitious US peace mission to the region for more than two years.
Amid tight security, Bush met Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak ahead of a US-Arab summit in the Egyptian Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh.
The summit was due to be joined by Saudi Crown Prince Abdullah, Jordan's King Abdullah, Bahrain's King Hamad and Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas, making his debut on the international stage.
Bush, meeting the new Palestinian prime minister for the first time, was seeking support for the Middle East peace "road map," drawn up by the US, the UN, the EU and Russia.
The road map, the most far-reaching Middle East peace plan of Bush's two-and-a-half years in office, outlines a series of reciprocal steps by Palestinians and Israelis leading to the creation of a Palestinian state by 2005.
"The president will sit down for face-to-face meetings with Arab leaders to talk to them about how together we can move the process. He'll emphasize that all parties have responsibilities in this regard," said Sean McCormack, spokesman for the US National Security Council.
Today, Bush is to hold a landmark summit with Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and Abbas in the Jordanian port city of Aqaba. The US president had refused to meet veteran Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat.
Abbas, also known as Abu Mazen, took office as the first prime minister in late April.
Bush comes to the peace process after waging a war against Iraq that inflamed anti-American passions in the Arab world.
At a summit of the G8 countries in France before arriving in Egypt, Bush said Middle East peace would be a difficult undertaking but predicted progress.
In his comments on Monday, he also said that during his Middle East tour he would "make it clear that my country, and I, will put in as much time as necessary to achieve the vision of two states living side-by-side in peace."
The US and Egyptian leaders are due to read statements after the summit meeting in Sharm el-Sheikh, where security guards lined the roads.
US officials hope the Arab statement will be one of support for Abbas, who has vowed to crack down on violence but has the difficult task of reining in extremists committed to the destruction of Israel.
Arab leaders are expected to urge the US to use its muscle on Israel, which Arabs fear could undermine the road map because Sharon only endorsed the plan after Washington said it would address his concerns.
"What is required is a firm commitment, implementation and monitoring of the implementation [of the road map] and this is what we hope will come out from the meetings that will take place here," Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Maher said on Monday as leaders arrived in Sharm el-Sheikh.
US hopes for progress have been buoyed by word that Sharon will announce plans to uproot some rogue Jewish settler outposts at his summit in Aqaba.
Israel's readiness to begin removing West Bank outposts, coming on the heels of promises from Abbas to rein in militant violence, could help smooth the way for the Aqaba summit.
Also see stories:
G8 summit fizzles without US presence
Father of eight and member of Islamic Jihad waits for suicide bombing order
SECURITY: As China is ‘reshaping’ Hong Kong’s population, Taiwan must raise the eligibility threshold for applications from Hong Kongers, Chiu Chui-cheng said When Hong Kong and Macau citizens apply for residency in Taiwan, it would be under a new category that includes a “national security observation period,” Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) Minister Chiu Chui-cheng (邱垂正) said yesterday. President William Lai (賴清德) on March 13 announced 17 strategies to counter China’s aggression toward Taiwan, including incorporating national security considerations into the review process for residency applications from Hong Kong and Macau citizens. The situation in Hong Kong is constantly changing, Chiu said to media yesterday on the sidelines of the Taipei Technology Run hosted by the Taipei Neihu Technology Park Development Association. With
A US Marine Corps regiment equipped with Naval Strike Missiles (NSM) is set to participate in the upcoming Balikatan 25 exercise in the Luzon Strait, marking the system’s first-ever deployment in the Philippines. US and Philippine officials have separately confirmed that the Navy Marine Expeditionary Ship Interdiction System (NMESIS) — the mobile launch platform for the Naval Strike Missile — would take part in the joint exercise. The missiles are being deployed to “a strategic first island chain chokepoint” in the waters between Taiwan proper and the Philippines, US-based Naval News reported. “The Luzon Strait and Bashi Channel represent a critical access
CARROT AND STICK: While unrelenting in its military threats, China attracted nearly 40,000 Taiwanese to over 400 business events last year Nearly 40,000 Taiwanese last year joined industry events in China, such as conferences and trade fairs, supported by the Chinese government, a study showed yesterday, as Beijing ramps up a charm offensive toward Taipei alongside military pressure. China has long taken a carrot-and-stick approach to Taiwan, threatening it with the prospect of military action while reaching out to those it believes are amenable to Beijing’s point of view. Taiwanese security officials are wary of what they see as Beijing’s influence campaigns to sway public opinion after Taipei and Beijing gradually resumed travel links halted by the COVID-19 pandemic, but the scale of
Pope Francis is be laid to rest on Saturday after lying in state for three days in St Peter’s Basilica, where the faithful are expected to flock to pay their respects to history’s first Latin American pontiff. The cardinals met yesterday in the Vatican’s synod hall to chart the next steps before a conclave begins to choose Francis’ successor, as condolences poured in from around the world. According to current norms, the conclave must begin between May 5 and 10. The cardinals set the funeral for Saturday at 10am in St Peter’s Square, to be celebrated by the dean of the College
RSS