Region | Egypt
Bush ends Mideast tour with short stop in Egypt
US President George W Bush ended his tour of the Middle East in Egypt, urging them to speed up democratic reform.
- Agencies
- Published: 19:39 January 16, 2008
Sharm El Shaikh: US President George W Bush ended his tour of the Middle East in Egypt, urging them to speed up democratic reform.
Although he didn't actually publicially criticize his counterpart President Hosni Mubarak, he did praise the work of journalists, bloggers and judges who are fighting for their independence.
He said: "You (Egyptians) have taken steps towards ... democratic reform, and my hope is that the Egyptian government will build on these important steps and give the people of this proud nation a greater voice in your future.''
Egypt has been criticised for cracking down on rival Islamist party the Muslim Brotherhood and allegedly harrassing bloggers.
Bush only spent three hours in Egypt before heading back to the US.
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