Bush urges Arab leaders to fight terror

US President George Bush called on Arab leaders today to fight terror at every turn on the road to peace.

They in turn, at a summit meeting in an Egyptian Red Sea resort, gave him a pledge to combat terror and violence and called on Israel to “rebuild trust and restore normal Palestinian life.”

Bush, entering the labyrinth of Mideast peace negotiations, said terror threatens the US, Israel and the emergence of a Palestinian state, he said. “Terror must be opposed and it must be defeated,” he said.

The meeting at Sharm el-Sheik served as a prelude to face-to-face talks tomorrow between Bush, Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and his counterpart, Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas, in Jordan.

“We meet in Sinai at a moment of promise for the cause of peace in the Middle East,” Bush said, standing at the edge of the Red Sea, with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak at his side.

Mubarak, serving as summit host, read a statement on behalf of four other Arab leaders, who sat behind him and Bush.

They were Saudi Crown Prince Abdullah, Bahrain’s King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, Moroccan King Mohammed and Jordan’s King Abdullah.

They embraced the internationally crafted road map for peace, which calls for an independent Palestinian state by 2005.

“This vision means that alongside the existing state of Israel, a new state for the Palestinians will emerge,” Mubarak said.

“We support the determination of the Palestinian Authority to fulfil its responsibilities to end violence and to restore law and order,” Mubarak said as Abbas looked on.

At the same time, he added: “Israel must fulfil its own responsibilities to rebuild trust and restore normal Palestinian life, and carry out other obligations under the road map.”

Bush, making his first major foray into Middle East peacemaking, made clear both sides must make concessions to build a lasting peace.

“If all sides fulfil their obligations, we can make steady progress on the road towards Palestinian statehood, a secure Israel and a just and comprehensive peace,” Bush said.

“We seek true peace, not just a pause between more wars and intifadas, but a permanent reconciliation among the peoples of the Middle East.”

He told the summit: “We must not allow a few people, a few killers, a few terrorists, to destroy the dreams and hopes of the many.”