A Presidential Welcome? 'Bush, Bush, Go to Hell!'

CAIRO, Egypt, Jan. 16, 2008 — -- The headlines in the Egyptian daily paper Al Dustor set the tone for President Bush's visit to Egypt this week, the last leg in his eight-day trip to the Middle East.

"Mr. Bush: If you want peace, talk about justice. If you want democracy, talk about fair elections. If you want freedom, talk about rule of law. If you only want to support Israel, go back home."

Such open messages to Bush have dominated the Egyptian and Pan-Arab press this week.

Some even went as far as calling Bush a murderer and a war criminal.

"We believe that the proper reception for Bush in the Arab region, as a criminal of war, is to be stoned by spoiled eggs, rotten tomatoes and loud demonstrations to show the real Arab and Muslims' feelings against him and his distractive war and his foreign policy that is against all that is Arabic and Muslim," wrote Abdel Bary Atwan in Al-Quds Al-Arabi, a Pan-Arab newspaper.

Palestinians also loudly protested the president's arrival in Israel, many taking to the streets in the Gaza Strip. They viewed the visit as an endorsement of the Israeli occupation to the Palestinian territories. As Bush was arriving in Jerusalem, Israeli forces killed three people in Gaza in a raid that also injured four.

In Egypt, anti-Bush conferences and sit-ins were organized by opposition parties and professional syndicates.

"Bush, Bush, Go to hell," "the Devil Is Preaching" read some of their banners.

Around 100 parliamentarians from the opposition and independents gathered in front of the Egyptian Parliament to also condemn the visit.

In their statement, they called on Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak not to allow Bush in the country.

The parliamentarians criticized Bush's three-hour trip to the Egyptian Red Sea resort of Sharm El Sheikh, saying the duration of the visit is an insult and marginalization of Egypt's leading role in the region.

Egyptian Foreign Ministry spokesman Hossam Zaki told ABC News the duration of the visit is enough to cover extensive talks between the Egyptian and the Americans.

"It is a visit to help push the Israelis and the Palestinians to make progress in their dialogue," Zaki said.

Drumming Up for War?

Officially one of the primary objectives of Bush's tour is to advance the Israeli-Palestinian peace process. The visit follows a promise made at the Annapolis, Md., conference in November that Bush would personally assist negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians.

Bush ended his visit to Israel with an optimistic prediction that an agreement can be secured before his term in office ends in January 2009.

However, on the Arab streets there is skepticism of Bush's agenda. People fear that the unofficial aim of Bush's tour of the region was to rally support from allies in the region to wage war on Iran.

In his speech in the United Arab Emirates, Bush said that Iran's actions threaten the security of nations everywhere. Adding: "One cause of instability is the extremists supported and embodied by the regime that sits in [Iran's capital of] Tehran."

Arab regimes gave cautious public reactions to Bush's remarks on Iran. They are keen on avoiding confrontation with the Iranian regime.

Saud Al Faisal, the Saudi foreign minister, said in a joint news conference with Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, his U.S. counterpart, that "Iran is a neighboring country, an important country in the region. Naturally we have nothing bad against Iran."

Too Little Democracy?

The U.S. administration famously promised "freedom and democracy" for the Middle East after the Sept. 11 attacks.

During his tour, Bush emphasized this pledge. "We share your desire for a free and prosperous future. As you struggle to find your voice and make your way in this world, the United States will stand with you," he said.

But just ahead of Bush's visit to Saudi Arabia, authorities there detained Fouad Al Farhan, one of the most popular bloggers in the kingdom. Al Farhan campaigned for reform and for the release of other imprisoned Saudi reformists. The Saudi authorities have not announced any formal charges against Al Farhan.

There was no direct official American comment during Bush's visit to the kingdom on Al Farhan's case. Efforts where poured into economic and military agreements. A multibillion-dollar arms deal with the kingdom was announced. Bush called on oil-rich exporter Saudi Arabia to increase its oil output in order to counter record-high prices of $100 a barrel.

Elsewhere in the region, the democracy that Bush so eagerly touts is stalling. In Egypt the opposition candidate, Ayman Nour, who came in a distant second to Mubarak in Egypt's first presidential elections, is still in jail on fraud charges.

It's an allegation many observers say is trumped up; they say Nour was imprisoned for purely political reasons. In February 2005, Rice postponed a visit to Egypt to protest the government's treatment of Nour.

Bloggers in Egypt have also been harshly handled. Abdel Karim Sulima, an outspoken critic of the government, is in prison charged with "defaming Islam and the Egyptian president," and a number of Egyptian journalists are also facing jail sentences for "defaming the president."

Advocates who believed the U.S. pledge of reform are now frustrated and feel that the United States has abandoned them in favor of its traditional support of Arab autocrats.