Bush lectures Arab nations, praises Israel

Winding up a five-day trip to the region, Bush took a strikingly tougher tone with Arab nations than he did with Israel in a speech Thursday to the Knesset. Israel received effusive praise from the president while Arab nations heard a litany of U.S. criticisms mixed with some compliments.

President Bush lectured the Arab world Sunday about everything frompolitical repression to the denial of women's rights but ran intoPalestinian complaints he is favoring Israel in stalled Mideast peacetalks. "Freedom and peace are within your grasp," Bush said despitescant signs of progress.

"Too often in the Middle East, politics has consisted of one leader inpower and the opposition in jail," Bush said in a speech to 1,500global policymakers and business leaders at this Red Sea beach resort.That was a clear reference to host Egypt, where main secular oppositionfigure Ayman Nour has been jailed and President Hosni Mubarak has ledan authoritarian government since 1981.

"America is deeply concerned about the plight of political prisoners inthis region, as well as democratic activists who are intimidated orrepressed, newspapers and civil society organizations that are shutdown and dissidents whose voices are stifled," Bush said.

Saudi Arabia rebuffed his plea for help with soaring oil prices, Egypt's leader questioned his seriousness about peacemaking and there was not enough progress in the peace talks to warrant a three-way meeting of Bush with Israeli and Palestinian leaders.

The Palestinian president, Mahmoud Abbas, did not conceal his disappointment over Bush's remarks to the Israeli parliament. The speech barely mentioned Palestinian hopes.

"We do not want the Americans to negotiate on our behalf," Abbas said Sunday after talks with Mubarak. "All that we want from them is to stand by (our) legitimacy and have a minimum of neutrality." Abbas had dinner Saturday with Bush.

"In principle, the Bush speech at the Knessetangered us, and we were not happy with it," Abbas said Sunday. "This isour position and we have a lot of remarks (about the speech) and Ifrankly, clearly and transparently asked him that the American positionshould be balanced."