Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques holds another round of discussions with President Bush on regional situation

Mubarak discusses with Bush in Sharm El-Sheikh Gulf security, Palestinian issue, promoting strategic dialogue between two countries

In her surprise visit to war-torn country, Rice speaks about a "new Iraq"

The Custodian of The Two Holy Mosques, King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz received at his ranch in Janadriya US President George W Bush, who had breakfast with the King.

Following the breakfast, the US President left The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, concluding his 3-day state visit.

Bush was seen off by King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz at his ranch in Janadriya.

The U.S. President was also seen off by Prince General Miteb bin Abdullah bin Abdulaziz, the Assistant Deputy Commander of the National Guard for military affairs; Chief of the Royal Protocol Mohamed bin Abdulrahman Al-Tubaishi and a number of high-ranking officials.

On departure from King Khalid International airport at the end of the visit to Saudi Arabia, US President George W Bush was seen off by Prince Salman bin Abdulaziz, the Governor of Riyadh Region; Prince Mohamed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz; Deputy Chairman of the Royal Protocol Dr. Abdulrahman bin Abdulaziz Al-Shahloub, US Ambassador to The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Ford M. Fraker and Director of King Khalid International airport Eng. Saad bin Mohamed Al-Tasan.

An Egyptian US summit was held in Sharm El-Sheikh between President Mubarak and US President George Bush. The summit tackled the latest developments in the Middle East, the results of Annapolis meeting, ways of pushing forward negotiations between the Palestinians and Israelis for setting up the Palestinian state before the end of 2008.

The two leaders also discussed developments in the Gulf, Iraq, the Iranian nuclear file, the crisis of the presidential elections in Lebanon, and bilateral relations.

They also reviewed the results of Bush talks with the leaders of the region with whom President Bush met during the tour.

The two leaders continued their talks on a working lunch in honor of President Bush and the accompanying delegation.

The two leaders held a press conference in which they tackled issues which were raised during their meeting. Addressing the press conference, President Mubarak said President Bush briefed him on the results of his tour of the region.

He said they had important consultations on Egypt's support for the peace process and joint efforts for shoring up the issues of peace, security and stability in the Middle East.

President Mubarak reiterated Egypt's support for the peace process adding he was looking forward to a follow up by President Bush of negotiations between the Palestinians and Israelis.

President Mubarak expressed hope that a peace agreement would be reached before the end of President Bush term.

During their talks, President Mubarak told President Bush that the Palestinian cause was the crux of the Middle East conflict and its settlement is the correct approach for containing existing crises, conflicts and hotbeds of tension.

President Mubarak said he asserted to President Bush the strategic significance of the security of the Gulf region and its peoples saying this security is part and parcel of the national security of Egypt and the Middle East.

President Mubarak said the Egyptian-US relations have contributed to promoting the mutual interests of the two countries and regional issues in the Middle East.

President Mubarak said his consultations with President Bush confirmed the two sides interest in pursuing consultations and strategic dialogue.

President Mubarak renewed Egypt's determination to maintain support for the Middle East issues and its willingness to work with the United States and international Quartet for establishing a just and comprehensive peace that could close down the file of the Arab-Israeli conflict forever.

About the Egyptian-American relations, Mubarak said over the past decades, relations between the two countries have been very important and have realized mutual interests for both countries and for Mideast issues.

Bush, for his part, said friendship between Egypt and the US is strong and is the cornerstone of the policy in the Mideast region.

It is very important that the Egyptians understand that the United States respects their history, traditions and culture, Bush said.

He expressed gladness to visit Egypt for the second time, saying after a long tour of the region he would not have imagined a better place than Sharm El-Sheikh with which he ends this tour.

Egypt is committed to all bases of peace, security and stability, he said, adding that he discussed with President Mubarak the outcome of his regional tour.

Mubarak had a wide experience, Bush said, expressing appreciation for Egypt's support of the anti-terror war and its dispatch of peacekeepers to Sudan.

Bush expressed optimism over the possibility of reaching a peace agreement between the Palestinians and Israelis because of the commitment of both Israel and the Palestinian leadership of the two-state solution.

He thanked President Mubarak for efforts exerted for shoring up peace in the region, saying Egypt did not hesitate to take part in the Annapolis peace conference.

Bush said their talks tackled the situation in Lebanon, adding that he agreed with Mubarak on the imprudence that countries in the region would support the government of Prime Minister Fouad Siniora.

What is important is to encourage the sides to hold immediate and unconditional presidential elections in accordance with the Constitution of Lebanon, Bush said.

Syria and Iran and their allies also must understand that they have to end their interferences to undermine the elections process, he added.

Talking about the situation in Iraq, the US President said the decision to send more US soldiers to Iraq seems effective as violence rate was lowered.

Bush said US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, who arrived in Iraq on Tuesday on a surprise visit, informed him that she sees life returning to normal in Iraq and that the political process is being pushed forward.

The US will continue helping the Iraqis preserve the democracy they realized, Bush said.

Egypt is an important country, Bush said, lauding the progress realized by the civil society in Egypt and efforts to improve the conditions of women.

He commended Egyptian steps towards liberalization of economy, saying he discussed the issue together with democratic reforms with Prime Minister Ahmed Nazif.

Egypt will remain a vital partner to the US and they will both work together for a safer world, Bush said.

US President George W. Bush arrived on two-day official visit to the UAE as part of his broader tour of the Middle East. Bush is the first sitting US president to visit the UAE on the fifth leg of his Middle East tour.

President His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan and Vice President and Prime Minister of UAE and Ruler of Dubai His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum led a party of top senior officials to welcome the US president upon arrival at the airport.

Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces General Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister Sheikh Hamdan bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan and a number of Sheikhs, ministers and top civilian and military officials joined in receiving President Bush upon arrival.

Soon after arriving at the Mushref Palace, the US president accompanied by Sheikh Khalifa ascended the dais of honor where the national anthems of the UAE and US were played while the artillery fired 21 gun salute.

President Bush then inspected a guard of honor and headed to the Palace's main reception lounge where he shook hands with a number of Sheikhs, ministers and top UAE officials.

For his part, Sheikh Khalifa shook hands with members of delegation accompanying the US president which included US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, White House Chief of Staff Joshua B. Bolten and Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs Stephen Hadley.

The UAE president then conferred the Zayed Order on his US counterpart as a gesture of honor and in recognition of the close UAE-US ties of cooperation and friendship.

Later, Sheikh Khalifa hosted a luncheon in honor of President Bush and his accompanying delegation on the occasion of his visit to the UAE. A number of Sheikhs, ministers and high-ranking officials attended the banquet.

US President George W. Bush and General Sheikh Mohammad bin Zayed Al Nahyan, crown prince of Abu Dhabi, were briefed on the activities of Mazda in Bush’s final stop in Abu Dhabi.

The Masdar Initiative is Abu Dhabi’s multi-faceted, multi-billion dollar investment in alternative and renewable energy sources; sustainable development; education; manufacturing and carbon management.

The CEO of Masdar, Dr Sultan Al Jaber, presented President Bush with a comprehensive display outlining the six business units of the initiative, including plans for Masdar City, the world’s first zero-carbon, zero-waste city, and the Masdar Institute of Science and Technology (MIST), the region’s first graduate-level academic institution focused on energy and sustainability and developed in cooperation with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

President Bush was very encouraged by Masdar’s activities, Dr. Sultan said. We had a very good conversation and I was able to share details of our efforts to date and our plans for the future. President Bush was especially interested in the partnerships we have developed with businesses and academic institutions in the United States.

''I look forward to continuing this discussion with United States Energy Secretary Bodman next week at the World Future Energy Summit,'' he continued.

Masdar is driven by the Abu Dhabi Future Energy Company (ADFEC), a wholly owned company of the government of Abu Dhabi through the Mubadala Development Company.

Following President Bush’s visit, Masdar will host the inaugural World Future Energy Summit (WFES) January 21-23, which will bring together the world’s leading innovators, educators, scientists, venture capitalists and experts in the field of alternative and renewable energies. WFES will stimulate innovative solutions for some of the most pressing challenges of our time: energy conservation, energy security, the environment and sustainable human development. The summit will be the largest meeting of the “future energy” movement and the premier event for world leaders to preview new solutions and technologies and seek partners. The summit will be a carbon-neutral certified event.

On the other hand, a source from the French presidency said that France “will have a permanent military base for its forces” according to a military agreement signed between the France and UAE during the visit of Nicolas Sarkozy to Abu-Dhabi.

The source, asked to be unidentified, told FPA that “France will have a military base for its multiple forces that reaches between 400 and 500 soldiers.”

Emirates News Agency (WAM) said that UAE and France signed two cooperation agreements in the fields of military and civil nuclear energy. WAM added that the defense agreement “aims at developing and cementing bilateral relations between the two friendly countries through military cooperation” without giving more details. A serious news report said that the agreement will offer France a permanent naval base in Abu-Dhabi.

The agreement signing was witnessed by UAE Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan and the French Minister of Defence Herve Morin.

President His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan and President Nicholas Sarkozy of the French witnessed the signing of a landmark bilateral nuclear cooperation agreement between the United Arab Emirates and the Republic of France.

The agreement, which was signed by UAE Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan and French Foreign and European Affairs Minister Bernard Kouchner, provides a framework for cooperation between the two countries in the evaluation and potential use of nuclear energy for peaceful purposes.

Under the agreement, the UAE and France will form a high-level joint committee to oversee cooperation in the areas of nuclear power generation, water desalination, basic and applied research, as well as, in the fields of agronomy, earth sciences, medicine and industry.

French oil major Total, Suez and nuclear engineering specialist Areva confirmed a joint plan to build and operate nuclear facilities in the United Arab Emirates.

Meanwhile, Rice arrived in Baghdad on Tuesday morning on a surprise visit and met with Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, President Jalal Talabani, his two deputies Tareq al-Hashemi and Adel Abdul Mahdi, Head of the Supreme Iraqi Council Abdul Aziz al-Hakim and President of Iraq's Kurdistan region Massoud Barazani.

"Passing the Justice and Accountability Law is a good step on the road to reconciliation," Rice told a news conference with her Iraqi counterpart, Hoshyar Zibari, in Baghdad's highly fortified Green Zone.

She added, however, that there was "still a lot of work to be done," pointing to the need for provincial elections and the fact that a national oil and gas bill is still stalled before parliament.

Rice encouraged the prime minister to promote the progress of the other benchmark legislation, including provincial elections, constitutional amendments and a law to share the country's oil and gas resources among the different sects.

Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's meeting with visiting U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice in Baghdad dealt with cutting the number of U.S. troops in Iraq, government spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh said.

"Rice affirmed that U.S. President George W. Bush discussed with Arab countries the possibility of sustaining friendly ties between Iraq and the United States," Dabbagh added.

"Rice expressed the U.S. administration's relief over development of Iraq's political process and the parliament's efforts, particularly after the adoption of the accountability & justice draft law," Dabbagh said

Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zibari on Tuesday said the majority of the powerful forces in Iraq support the long-term U.S.-Iraq manifesto of cooperation and friendship announced last September.

He pointed to the support of “The powerful Iraqi leaders to hold a political, economic, security and cultural agreement to build on our capabilities”.

U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice pointed out the agreement sought the stability of the region and not only security issues.

“Leaders agreed on the long-term U.S.- Iraq manifesto of cooperation and friendship”, FM Zibari said in a joint press conference with Rice, “Iraqi government explained the issue to most of Arab presidents and there was no secrecy in it”.

Branding the process of holding the agreement as “transparent taken by Iraqis”, Zibari noted “the final say (over the agreement) is to be decided by Iraqi people’s representatives in the parliament”.

“The U.S. is a long-term ally and a strategic friend”, the Iraqi FM pointed out, “we are not creating any innovation as many of the region’s countries have similar agreements with the U.S. ”.

Rice, for her part, said the agreement would boost the stability of the region and not only for security.

“The democratically-elected Iraqi government and the U.S. agreed on long-term relations”, the U.S. Secretary said, “We have common interest in a united Iraq capable of defending its territory with sufficient security forces coping with challenges facing Iraq ”.

Concerning her current visit to Iraq, Rice said she wanted to get benefit from being close to Iraq, as she is escorting the US president in the Middle East visit, and paid this surprise visit.