EGYPT:US president George W Bush yesterday sought to reassure sceptical Arabs that he remained committed to securing a deal on Palestinian statehood before he leaves office, despite his outspoken support for Israel.
Wrapping up his Middle East tour in the Egyptian resort of Sharm el-Sheikh, Mr Bush was looking to ease Palestinian dismay over his visit to Israel, where he lavished the Jewish state with praise, hailing it as a "homeland for the chosen people".
Mr Bush used a speech to a mostly Arab audience at the World Economic Forum in Sharm el-Sheikh to insist he "firmly believes" a Middle East peace agreement can be reached this year - a deadline widely viewed as unrealistic.
"We must stand with the Palestinian people, who have suffered for decades and earned the right to a homeland of their own," Mr Bush said.
Adjusting his approach from that taken in Israel last week, Mr Bush pressed Palestinians to "fight terror" and called on Israel to make "tough sacrifices for peace and ease restrictions on Palestinians".
His more sympathetic words to the Palestinians appeared aimed at countering Arab doubts, reinforced by his Israel visit, about his ability to act as an evenhanded peacebroker.
He had provoked anger in a speech to Israel's parliament on Thursday in which he pledged unflinching support for the Jewish state but made only one reference to Palestinian hopes of statehood.
Mr Bush's call for Palestinian statehood yesterday drew the strongest applause, but his reception was mostly muted, a far cry from the hero's welcome he received in Israel.
Speaking to reporters on board Air Force One on the impact of Mr Bush's visit, secretary of state Condoleezza Rice said: "This is really a two-speech trip, not a one-speech trip." - ( Reuters)