President George W. Bush emphasized that he maintains a good relationship with King Abdullah, and considers him as a close friend, adding that he also has a good relationships with number of Arab leaders.
During his meeting with 44 women, including eight Saudis, from nine countries in the Middle East and North Africa, President Bush said that “Today, there is no existence for the “Great State of Israel”, stressing that the Palestinian State will be established. He also considered that the Israeli-Palestinian dialogue as one of his presidential term’s achievements.
President Bush also criticized the accusations that were made against him during his presidency regarding his position “against Muslims”, stressing that such accusations were “wrong.” He underlined that the US took necessary procedures following 9/11 to protect the Americans from future attacks.
Regarding the Israeli-Palestinian issue, President Bush noted that before his presidency, the relation between the two sides (Israeli-Palestinian) hit the rock bottom and there was no real dialogue between them. However, he promoted dialogue and negotiations and each side now has a genuine aspiration for peace. He added “Today, the State of Great Israel does not exist, but there will be a Palestinian state.”
President Bush mentioned that a number of Arab countries supporting the peace process, including Saudi Arabia.
President Bush praised the role of Arab women, saying she will play a significant role in the future.
The Arab Women's delegation went to the United States upon the invitation of the State Department to examine the US presidential elections.
The delegation met with Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. Rice responded to the delegation’s questions, however, some of participants in the delegation expressed their dissatisfaction over Rice's refusal to answer questions related with the US policy in the Middle East.
-- Manal Al Sharif, Al Madina News
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