Bush achieves no breakthrough

Kuwait: US President George W. Bush wrapped up his mission to Israel and the occupied West Bank on Friday, emboldened enough to have predicted a peace treaty within a year but with no major breakthroughs for his efforts.

Concluding his first presidential visit to the Holy Land, Bush arrived on Friday evening in Kuwait, the first of five stops with Arab allies he hopes will aid the fragile peace process and help contain Iran's growing regional clout.

Bush flew in aboard Air Force One from Israel to the country, where he will seek to rally support for his policy of isolating archfoe Iran, after a two-day visit to the Jewish state and the West Bank.

He was greeted by Shaikh Sabah Al Ahmad Al Sabah, Emir of Kuwait with whom he exchanged kisses after leaving his aircraft.

Roundtable talks

Kuwait's Crown Prince, Prime Minister, Parliament Speaker and other top officials joined in welcoming the US leader at the airport, where he was saluted by an honour guard.

Bush bowed slightly when he shook hands with the only woman member of the Kuwaiti Cabinet, Education Minister Nouriya Al Subaih.

He is due to hold roundtable talks on Saturday with 10 prominent Kuwaiti women activists to discuss the progress of democracy.

Tonight Bush will meet with Kuwait's Ruler and thank him for his support and for democratisation efforts in the Gulf state that have seen women allowed to vote and run for office.

"He will talk about the fight against extremists and radicals as well as the Middle East peace effort, Lebanon and Iraq," White House spokeswoman Dana Perino told reporters.

Kuwaiti newspapers said Shaikh Sabah will tell Bush his country is worried that any US strike against nearby Iran would destabilise the Gulf region, which is crucial to world oil supplies.

Bush is likely hear a similar message from other Gulf leaders who eye their Shiite neighbour with concern and want to curb its nuclear programme but without resort to war.

Kuwait, which is home to thousands of US troops, has repeatedly said it will not allow the United States to use its territory for any strike against Iran.

In travels over the next few days, Bush said he would urge Arab allies to "begin to reach out" to Israel to help nurture the peace process.

After Kuwait, he will head to Bahrain, the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Egypt.

Before leaving the Holy Land, Bush said he had accepted Israel's invitation to return for its 60 anniversary celebrations and would use the visit "to help the peace process move forward". Bush set no date for the trip but Israel's "independence day" falls on May 8.

A key obstacle to a peace deal is a sense among many Arabs of US bias in favour of Israel. There are also doubts about Bush's newfound commitment to resolving the conflict.

Bush's hopes to rally Arab opposition to Iran were underscored by an incident between US and Iranian vessels in the Strait of Hormuz last weekend. He warned Iran of "serious consequences" if it happened again. His task will be made harder by a US intelligence report that concluded Iran had stopped its nuclear arms programme in 2003.

Bush promises unacceptable, Haniya says

The leader of the Hamas government in Gaza yesterday said US President George W. Bush's visit to the region proved his bias toward Israel and hurt Palestinian aspirations for a state of their own.

Haniya said Bush's views on a peace deal were based on promises to Israel, and don't serve Palestinian interests. "Bush gave Israel all the required pledges to solidify its occupation ... while he gave the Palestinians more illusions and slogans, and loose words that only express the deception which has characterised this visit," Haniya said.

Haniya said the millions of refugees and their descendants from the 1948 war that accompanied Israel's creation must return to Israel.

"These concepts are totally unacceptable to us." he said. "A short visit of a few hours can't reduce this historic right and shrink the future of Palestinian generations on the land of Palestine."

Haniya criticised Bush's characterisation of Hamas as an obstacle to peace. "This is sowing the seeds of sedition and is an attempt to create the atmosphere for internal Palestinian wars," he said. Haniya appealed to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas not to "slide" behind the US administration, saying he would be endangering his leadership.

Eyad Abu Jabal, a cigarette vendor in Gaza, had no reason for joy over the Bush visit. Like many of the 1.4 million Palestinians living in impoverished Gaza, Abu Jabal had wanted Bush to press Israel to reopen crossings with the territory that were virtually sealed after the Hamas takeover. "This is all in vain," Abu Jabal said. "Will he open the crossings for us? ... He has only distributed smiles and laughs. In the end he is laughing at us."

Syria slams 'hollow words'

Bush's call for the creation of a Palestinian state and an end to Israeli occupation of Arab land was just "hollow words", an official Syrian newspaper said yesterday. "All that comes from the White House are hollow words ... then the pressure exerted by Washington on Israel amounts to zero," Ath-Thawra newspaper charged.

"Before and during his visit to Israel and the Palestinian territories, Bush more than once urged Israel to stop settlement expansion and called for the creation of an independent Palestinian state. These are only beautiful words of peace," added the paper.

"Successive American presidents have always called on Israel to halt settlement expansion. They have in fact always backed Israel and even encouraged the pursuit of the expansionist policy," it added.

Israel cautious on 'treaty' hopes

The Israeli government said yesterday it endorsed Bush's call during his visit for a rapid peace agreement but made clear it does not see the final establishment of a Palestinian state this year.

Pressed repeatedly on whether Israel expects to sign a final "peace treaty" by the time Bush steps down next January, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's spokesman told a news conference that Israel hoped for a "historic agreement" in 2008 that would "outline the framework" of a future Palestinian state.

Spokesman Mark Regev stressed that Israel would not agree to any agreement going into force until it considered that the Palestinian Authority had met its commitments under the 2003 "roadmap" peace plan to crack down on militants - "a lot of work will have to be done" before implementation, he said.

Asked whether Olmert was ready to negotiate a full "peace treaty" this year, rather than an interim "framework agreement", Regev said: "We believe it's possible to achieve by the end of 2008 a historic agreement."

Asked if that meant a final treaty, he said: "I hope we will have a historic agreement that ... outlines the framework, the structure, the vision for a future Palestinian state."

He said such a deal would provide a "vision for the moderates" among Palestinian leaders to get the upper hand over militants intent on fighting Israel and added: "Every agreement will be implemented subject to the roadmap."

Regev said Abbas must do more to improve security in the occupied West Bank and to end attacks from the Gaza Strip, where Abbas's Hamas rivals seized control seven months ago.

Overall, Israel endorsed Bush's strong statement calling for a rapid peace agreement, Regev said: "We view that statement by the president positively." "We come out of this visit with greater energy, greater momentum in the peace process," he added as Bush headed for Kuwait on the next leg of his tour. "On Iran, Israel and the United States are on the same page," Regev said.

US President to return in May

President George W. Bush said he would return to the Mideast in May to continue pressing the Israelis and Palestinians into reaching a peace agreement and to help Israel celebrate its 60th anniversary. “There's a good chance for peace and I want to help you,'' Bush said, flanked by Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and President Shimon Peres at the airport.