国际英语新闻：Bush ends two-day visit to Egypt with remarks to convince Arab sceptics on peace push

SHARM EL-SHEIKH, Egypt, May 18 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President George Bush on Sunday left the Egyptian Red Sea resort Sharm el-Sheikh and headed back to Washington, ending his two-day visit to Egypt and five-day tour to the region with remarks to convince Arab sceptics on peace push.

    During his stay in Sharm el-Sheikh, Bush met with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, King Abdullah II of Jordan and Pakistani Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani, as well as Iraqi officials among others to tackle regional and bilateral issues.

Bush met with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak on May 17, 2008. U.S. President George Bush on Sunday left the Egyptian Red Sea resort Sharm el-Sheikh and headed back to Washington, ending his two-day visit to Egypt and five-day tour to the region with remarks to convince Arab sceptics on peace push

He also delivered a special address on Sunday at the inaugural session of the World Economic Forum (WEF) on the Middle East in Sharm el-Sheikh, expressing his confidence on reaching a peace agreement between the Israelis and the Palestinians by the end of this year and reiterating the U.S. resolve to stop Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons.

    "A peace agreement is in the Palestinians' interest, it is in Israel's interest, it is in Arab states' interest, and it is in the world's interest," Bush said in his address to the WEF meeting.

    The U.S. president said he firmly believed that with leadership and courage, "we can reach that peace agreement this year."

    "This is a demanding task, and it requires action on all sides," Bush said, adding that Palestinians must fight terror and continue to build the institutions of a free and peaceful society, while Israel must make tough sacrifices for peace and ease restrictions on Palestinians.

    The renewed resolve to Mideast peace came eight months before the end of Bush's eight-year tenure, the target date set by Washington for Israeli and Palestinian leaders to ink a peace agreement that will bring an end to the decades-old conflict.

    Bush faces criticism for not mentioning the Palestinian plight during his three-day visit to Israel, while expressing strong support to Israel in his speech at Israel's parliament Thursday onthe occasion of the 60th anniversary of the Jewish country.

    Growing scepticism in the Arab world arose over Bush's ability to act as an even-handed broker between Israel and the Palestinians.

    So far, there has been virtually no visible progress in the Palestinian-Israeli peace process since the two sides relaunched it after the U.S.-hosted Mideast peace conference in late November.

    On the Iranian nuclear file, Bush called for efforts from the Islamic world to stop Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon, adding that, otherwise, it would be an "unforgivable betrayal of future generations."

    Iran, however, has repeatedly denied seeking the atomic bomb, saying that its nuclear program is aimed solely at peaceful use to generate energy.

    Bush, who arrived here on Saturday, also urged Mideast nations to isolate Iran and its closest regional ally Syria, as well as confront Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, which is listed by the United States and Europe as a terrorist group.

    On the Lebanon issue, Bush called on Lebanon's neighbors and other nations in the Middle East to oppose the Shiite Islamic movement Hezbollah as rival Lebanese leaders were meeting in Qatarin a bid to resolve a protracted political crisis.

    The crisis boiled to deadly clashes between government supporters and opponents earlier this month, leaving at least 72 people dead and about 200 others injured.

    On the Iraq issue, Bush met here with Iraqi Vice President AdilAbd-al-Mahdi and deputy prime minister Barham Salih to express his concern on Iraq's reconstruction.

    On Afghanistan, Bush urged other nations to help Afghanistan with its reconstruction and development at a donors' meeting in Paris slated for June.

    Under the theme "Learning from the future", the three-day Forum will attract 1,500 people, including heads of state, business leaders and ministers from 55 countries.

    Some hot topics, such as regional tourism, water resources, sustainable development in the region, soaring food prices and the consequences of global inflation on Mideast, will also be high on the agenda of the international meeting.

    Before Egypt, Bush's five-day Mideast tour, the second one in 2008, took him to Israel and Saudi Arabia.