The Whitehouse announced that President Bush will travel to Israel, the West Bank, Kuwait, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, and Egypt from January 8-16, 2008.

In Jerusalem, the President will meet with President Peres and Prime Minister Olmert, and in the West Bank he will meet with President Abbas and Prime Minister Fayyad. The President will then travel to Kuwait, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, and Egypt where he will meet with Amir Sabah, King Hamad, President Khalifa, King Abdallah, and President Mubarak, respectively.

This visit will follow up on the progress made at Annapolis in helping Israelis and Palestinians to advance their efforts toward peace and achievement of the President’s vision of two democratic states living side-by-side in peace and security, as well as encourage Israeli/Arab reconciliation. The trip will also be an opportunity to reaffirm the enduring commitment of the United States to the security of our allies in the Middle East, especially with the Gulf nations, and our close work with them to combat terrorism and extremism, promote freedom, and seek peace and prosperity in the region. The meetings with leaders will allow for discussions of developments in Iraq, the challenges presented by Iran, regional security, economic ties, and relations between the United States and these close allies.

(YW News Desk / Photo: Eric Draper-WhiteHouse)

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