elle
01-11-2008, 01:13 PM
UNITED STATES - President George W Bush begins a tour of Arab allies in the oil-rich Gulf on Friday seeking to rally support for his policy of isolating archfoe Iran.
His trip, following on the heels of a visit to Israel and the West Bank to push for a Middle East peace deal within a year, comes amid rising tensions between Washington and Tehran following a naval confrontation in the Gulf.
But several commentators in the region, including Kuwait where Mr Bush was due to kick off the Gulf trip, have voiced strong misgivings about his intentions.
Kuwait
Although Kuwait will welcome Mr Bush as a friend, officials have repeatedly said the emirate will not allow the United States to use its territory as a launchpad for any strike against Iran.
'Mr President, the region needs smart initiatives not smart bombs,' the Kuwaiti newspaper Al-Rai said in a front-page editorial.
'It needs inter-continental technology, not ballistic missiles; and it needs scientific, economic, financial and trade agreements, not arms deals.' Kuwait was a springboard for the 2003 US-led invasion of Iraq that toppled then dictator Saddam Hussein, whose forces had invaded his tiny neighbour in 1990 before the emirate was liberated by a US-led coalition in early 1991.
Around 15,000 US troops are permanently stationed in Kuwait, which hosts one of Washington's largest military bases in the region, Camp Arifjan, that is used as a transit point for US-led forces in Iraq.
Heading for Bahrain
After Kuwait, Mr Bush will head for Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia on a trip he has said aims to curtail Tehran's 'aggressive ambitions.' It will be the first time a serving US president has been to Bahrain and the UAE although several have been to Saudi Arabia, the regional Sunni Arab powerhouse and world's top oil producer.
Mr Bush began his regional tour in Israel on Wednesday with a warning that Iran posed 'a threat to world peace' and should not be allowed to develop the know-how to build a nuclear weapon. Iran denies seeking nuclear arms.
Mr Bush also warned Tehran of 'serious consequences' if it attacked US warships in the Gulf.
On Sunday three US Navy vessels and Iranian speedboats were involved in an incident in the strategic Strait of Hormuz during which the Americans said the Iranians radioed a threat to blow them up.
The US Navy's Fifth Fleet, which is based in Bahrain, has since said that while Iranian speedboats were engaged in 'very aggressive' behaviour, it was not certain that the radioed threat had come from those vessels.
Tehran accuses Washington of using the incident in the waterway - a vital conduit for energy supplies - as a propaganda stunt to paint Iran in a bad light during Mr Bush's Middle East trip.
The Gulf monarchies, including Qatar which Mr Bush visited in 2003, all have close military ties with the United States and are major buyers of American weaponary.
While a US intelligence report made public last month said Tehran halted a secret nuclear weapons programme in 2003, many people in the Gulf worry that Washington is intent on a military showdown with Iran.
Dubai's Gulf News, in a front-page letter to Mr Bush, launched a stinging attack on his administration's policy in the Middle East, chiefly its support for Israel despite the 'oppression' of the Palestinians.
'We realise that containing Iran, selling more weapons and securing cheap oil supplies are the main issues on your mind as you tour the region,' the paper said, dismissing Mr Bush's 'claim' to want to solve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
'As for... the promise of democracy and human rights, which you are expected to raise in your official talks in the region... your dreadful record on both gives you no moral right to lecture others,' said the daily, which listed a litany of alleged rights violations in Iraq and elsewhere.
On Thursday, Mr Bush called on 'Arab countries to reach out to Israel, a step that is long overdue,' as he predicted the signing of a Middle East peace treaty within a year and called for an end to Israel's four-decade occupation of Palestinian land.
Bahrain, Mr Bush's second Gulf stop, is ruled by a Sunni dynasty which has hailed the US president's trip as historic although members of the Shiite majority have said he is not welcome.
Mr Bush will next go to the UAE, which despite a longstanding territorial row is Iran's largest trading partner, then to Saudi Arabia before wrapping up his tour in Egypt. -- AFP
http://www.straitstimes.com/Latest%2BNews/World/STIStory_195150.html
His trip, following on the heels of a visit to Israel and the West Bank to push for a Middle East peace deal within a year, comes amid rising tensions between Washington and Tehran following a naval confrontation in the Gulf.
But several commentators in the region, including Kuwait where Mr Bush was due to kick off the Gulf trip, have voiced strong misgivings about his intentions.
Kuwait
Although Kuwait will welcome Mr Bush as a friend, officials have repeatedly said the emirate will not allow the United States to use its territory as a launchpad for any strike against Iran.
'Mr President, the region needs smart initiatives not smart bombs,' the Kuwaiti newspaper Al-Rai said in a front-page editorial.
'It needs inter-continental technology, not ballistic missiles; and it needs scientific, economic, financial and trade agreements, not arms deals.' Kuwait was a springboard for the 2003 US-led invasion of Iraq that toppled then dictator Saddam Hussein, whose forces had invaded his tiny neighbour in 1990 before the emirate was liberated by a US-led coalition in early 1991.
Around 15,000 US troops are permanently stationed in Kuwait, which hosts one of Washington's largest military bases in the region, Camp Arifjan, that is used as a transit point for US-led forces in Iraq.
Heading for Bahrain
After Kuwait, Mr Bush will head for Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia on a trip he has said aims to curtail Tehran's 'aggressive ambitions.' It will be the first time a serving US president has been to Bahrain and the UAE although several have been to Saudi Arabia, the regional Sunni Arab powerhouse and world's top oil producer.
Mr Bush began his regional tour in Israel on Wednesday with a warning that Iran posed 'a threat to world peace' and should not be allowed to develop the know-how to build a nuclear weapon. Iran denies seeking nuclear arms.
Mr Bush also warned Tehran of 'serious consequences' if it attacked US warships in the Gulf.
On Sunday three US Navy vessels and Iranian speedboats were involved in an incident in the strategic Strait of Hormuz during which the Americans said the Iranians radioed a threat to blow them up.
The US Navy's Fifth Fleet, which is based in Bahrain, has since said that while Iranian speedboats were engaged in 'very aggressive' behaviour, it was not certain that the radioed threat had come from those vessels.
Tehran accuses Washington of using the incident in the waterway - a vital conduit for energy supplies - as a propaganda stunt to paint Iran in a bad light during Mr Bush's Middle East trip.
The Gulf monarchies, including Qatar which Mr Bush visited in 2003, all have close military ties with the United States and are major buyers of American weaponary.
While a US intelligence report made public last month said Tehran halted a secret nuclear weapons programme in 2003, many people in the Gulf worry that Washington is intent on a military showdown with Iran.
Dubai's Gulf News, in a front-page letter to Mr Bush, launched a stinging attack on his administration's policy in the Middle East, chiefly its support for Israel despite the 'oppression' of the Palestinians.
'We realise that containing Iran, selling more weapons and securing cheap oil supplies are the main issues on your mind as you tour the region,' the paper said, dismissing Mr Bush's 'claim' to want to solve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
'As for... the promise of democracy and human rights, which you are expected to raise in your official talks in the region... your dreadful record on both gives you no moral right to lecture others,' said the daily, which listed a litany of alleged rights violations in Iraq and elsewhere.
On Thursday, Mr Bush called on 'Arab countries to reach out to Israel, a step that is long overdue,' as he predicted the signing of a Middle East peace treaty within a year and called for an end to Israel's four-decade occupation of Palestinian land.
Bahrain, Mr Bush's second Gulf stop, is ruled by a Sunni dynasty which has hailed the US president's trip as historic although members of the Shiite majority have said he is not welcome.
Mr Bush will next go to the UAE, which despite a longstanding territorial row is Iran's largest trading partner, then to Saudi Arabia before wrapping up his tour in Egypt. -- AFP
http://www.straitstimes.com/Latest%2BNews/World/STIStory_195150.html