Wednesday, January 16, 2008

Bush in Egypt Ending his Unlucky Mideast Trip


Al-Manar

"US President George W. Bush arrived in Egypt on Wednesday ending his disappointed Middle East trip after his accusations against the Islamic republic of Iran did not get much attention in the region. Saudi Arabia has described the Islamic Republic of Iran as a 'neighborly' country, rejecting the US President's claim. At a joint press conference with US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice Tuesday in the Saudi capital, Saudi Arabia's Foreign Minister Saud al-Faisal poured cold water on Bush's recent bid to isolate Iran and said escalation of tension was not in the interest of regional states. "Iran is a neighborly, important country in the region," Faisal said. "We don't harbor any evil for Iran," he added.

"We hope that Iran will comply with the demands of the International Atomic Energy Agency … and avoid escalation. Under any circumstance, escalation in the region is in nobody's interest."

During a roundtable with reporters on Tuesday Bush said he had faced persistent questions during his trip about the new US intelligence estimate which contradicted Washington's claims that Iran is pursuing nuclear weapons. The US president also said he made it clear that 'all options are on the table for dealing with Iran at the same time' and that he told leaders of Arab allies that he wanted a diplomatic solution.
Bush visited a number of Persian Gulf states including the UAE where he claimed Iran is sponsoring terrorism in the world. During his tour, Bush has been hopelessly struggling to drum up support for his warmongering policies against Tehran....."

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