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Bush arrives in Mideast on peace missionPresident to call for Arab crackdown on terrorism
SHARM EL-SHEIKH, Egypt (CNN) -- President Bush arrived in Egypt on Monday to face one of his chief diplomatic tasks: building support in the Middle East for the U.S.-backed "road map" for peace between Israel and the Palestinians. Bush has said he also will use his meeting Tuesday with heads of state from Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Bahrain and the Palestinian prime minister to call for a larger crackdown on terrorism in the Arab world. Wednesday, Bush will travel to Jordan for meetings with Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas. Monday, before leaving France, where he attended the G-8 summit, Bush said, "My expectations in the Middle East are to call all parties to their responsibilities to achieve peace and make clear that my country will put in as much time as necessary to achieve the vision of two states living side by side in peace. "I fully understand that this will be a difficult process" that will require international support, he added. Secretary of State Colin Powell, also attending the Egypt summit, told reporters on his plane en route to Sharm el-Sheikh, "The meeting is important to make sure that the Arab leadership is behind and supportive of the road map and the president's efforts, and will play their part in assisting the Palestinian Authority in restoring their security organizations and capacity, and speaking out as strongly as I expect the Palestinians to do in denouncing terror and violence and any support that is given to those that practice terror and violence." Powell said the visit will also be an opportunity to heal divisions stemming from the war in Iraq. Israeli officials have asked the Bush administration to use the Egypt summit to convey also the importance of Arab leaders publicly accepting the existence of Israel as a Jewish state. Israel hopes the United States will encourage Egypt and Jordan to send their ambassadors back to Israel. The two Arab countries pulled their envoys after the latest Palestinian intifada began in September 2000. Palestinian Foreign Minister Nabil Sha'ath said Monday, "We need, first of all, to see President Bush continue what looks like a real involvement. ... We would like him to continue that role as supporter of this peace process, to push to get it implemented on the ground. We want the Arabs to help do that." Bush will meet Tuesday morning with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak. Later, the two will be joined by Crown Prince Abdullah of Saudi Arabia, King Abdullah II of Jordan, King Hamad bin Issa of Bahrain and the Palestinian prime minister. Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Maher said Wednesday's meeting is designed to promote "the cause of comprehensive peace in the whole region." Jordanian Foreign Minister Marwan al-Mu'ashir said all attendees of the summit "are strong supporters of the road map and for the efforts that are under way to end the Arab-Israeli conflict. This is a positive meeting; this is a meeting that will attempt to reverse the cycle of violence and the despair that has characterized the peace process over the last three years. "I think we are on the verge of a new era," he added. "We don't, of course, want to be overjoyed because we understand that this is going to be a lot of hard work. ... But we have crossed a major hurdle by both sides accepting the road map, by both sides accepting each other as two independent states."
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