U.S. President George
W. Bush gives a speech at the Emirates Palace Hotel in Abu Dhabi
Jan. 13, 2008.
Visiting President George W. Bush accused Iran of the world's
"leading state sponsor of terror" in a policy speech delivered at
the Emirates Palace Hotel in Abu Dhabi Sunday afternoon.
In a speech titled "Power is a trust," Bush said that "Iran is
today the world's leading state sponsor of terror."
The U.S. President charged Iran with supporting Hezbollah, Hamas
and Taliban, Al-Qaida and its affiliates as well as extremist
Shiites in Iraq, defying the United Nations and destabilizing the
region by refusing to be open about its nuclear program.
"Iran's actions threaten the security of nations everywhere,"
Bush added.
"The United States is strengthening our long-standing security
commitments with our friends in the Gulf, and rallying friends
around the world to confront this danger before it is too late,"
Bush said.
Bush earlier met with his UAE counterpart Sheikh Khalifa bin
Zayed Al Nahyan over the bilateral relations and latest
developments in the region.
During the meeting, Bush stressed the significance of UAE-U.S.
relations in all fields and particularly the fields of economy,
politics and defense.
He also expressed the U.S. administration's desire to boost and
expand joint cooperation and coordination between the two
countries.
Bush, who arrived in Abu Dhabi Sunday morning after winding up a
visit in Bahrain, is the first sitting U.S. President who visits
the UAE.
He is on a four-nation tour of the oil-rich Gulf Arab allies of
the United States, which has taken him to Kuwait and Bahrain and
will also bring him to Saudi Arabia, in a bid to seek Arab support
for his Middle East policy.
Before Kuwait, Bush has wrapped up his landmark visit to Israel
and the Palestinian territories, the first time since he took
office in 2000, trying to advance peace talks between Israel and
the Palestinians in the wake of the U.S.-hosted Annapolis peace
conference last November.
(Xinhua News Agency January 14, 2008)
