Democracy does not threaten Islam, says Bush

SHARM EL-SHEIK (Agencies) - US President George W Bush lectured the Arab world Sunday about everything from political repression to the denial of women's rights but ran into Palestinian complaints he is favouring Israel in stalled Mideast peace talks, urging friends and foes to stop repressing their people.

Bush wrapped up his regional tour saying peace in the Middle East was possible by the end of the year but that it required "tough sacrifices". He also again took aim at Iran over its nuclear drive and criticised the nations of the region over the lack of political freedom and human rights, calling on the world to prevent Tehran from obtaining the nuclear bomb and to isolate Iran and its ally Syria.

"Freedom and peace are within your grasp," Bush said despite scant signs of progress.

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. In one odd note of the address to World Economic Forum on the Middle East, an offshoot of the annual gathering of political and business leaders in Davos, Switzerland, Bush rebutted what he said are the many arguments from "sceptics about democracy in this part of the world," without specifying who they are.

He said democracy is not "a Western value that America seeks to impose on unwilling citizens" and nor is it incompatible with the religion of Islam.

"In our democracy, we would never punish a person for owning a Holy Quran. And we would never issue a death sentence to someone for converting to Islam. Democracy does not threaten Islam or any other religion. Democracy is the only system of government that guarantees their protection." "Too often in the Middle East, politics has consisted of one leader in power and the opposition in jail," Bush said in a speech to 1,500 global policy-makers and business leaders at this Red Sea beach resort.

"America is deeply concerned about the plight of political prisoners in this region, as well as democratic activists who are intimidated or repressed, newspapers and civil society organisations that are shut down and dissidents whose voices are stifled," Bush said.

"I call on all nations in this region to release their prisoners of conscience, open up their political debate and trust their people to chart their future," Bush said.

On Middle East peace-making, the US President said, "I firmly believe that with leadership and courage, we can reach that peace agreement this year... This is a demanding task, and it requires action on all sides."

"Palestinians must fight terror and continue to build the institutions of a free and peaceful society," Bush said. "Israel must make tough sacrifices for peace, ease the restrictions on Palestinians. Arab states, especially oil-rich nations, must seize this opportunity to invest aggressively in the Palestinian people and to move past their old resentments against Israel."

"And all nations in the region must stand together in confronting Hamas, which is attempting to undermine efforts at peace with acts of terror and violence" from the Gaza Strip, Bush stated.

The heart of Bush's speech was a warning that Mideast nations lag behind the developing world and cannot count on their oil wealth forever. He urged countries to make their economies more diverse, open to free trade, with lower taxes and protection for intellectual property rights.

He called for political changes that bring competitive, legitimate elections where leaders are held to account and appealed to nations to push back against the negative influence of "spoilers" such as Iran and Syria.

He urged an expansion of women's rights as "a matter of morality and of basic math. No nation that cuts off half its population from opportunities will be as productive or prosperous as it could be. Women are a formidable force, as I have seen in my own family and my own administration." At the same time, Bush hailed democratic advances in countries such as Turkey, Afghanistan, Iraq, Morocco and Jordan and said, "The light of liberty is beginning to shine." Bush said political changes must accompany economic ones in Egypt.