Bush: A free and democratic Palestinian state will evolve from the Middle East

US President George W. Bush met with Israeli journalists on Monday morning ahead of his trip to Israel. President Bush will arrive in Israel today and will take part in the celebrations marking the country's sixtieth year of independence. He is also scheduled to meet with Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas.

During the meeting with the journalists, Bush said that the peace process is not contingent on one person. In response to the latest investigation of Olmert over the use of illegal funding, he added that his relations with Olmert were very strong and he found the Israeli prime minister to be an "honest" person. Bush added that he could not see the Middle East evolving without a "Palestinian state that is free and democratic" and called PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas a viable partner for peace in the process. Bush added that no Palestinian state will arise "until certain obligations are met. But it's the definition itself which becomes a powerful engine for the marginalisation of people who murder innocents to achieve their objectives."

On the topic of Iran, Bush described the country as the biggest, long-term threat to the Middle East. "We take [seriously] this issue of [Iran] getting the technology, the know-how on how to develop a nuclear weapon. All options are on the table. Of course you want to try to solve this problem diplomatically," he said.

Back to top Previous article Next article