U.S. President George W. Bush will travel to the Middle East next week in an attempt to encourage “broader Israel-Arab reconciliation” and reaffirm U.S. support for its allies in the region, a senior administration official said Thursday. National Security Advisor Stephen Hadley said Bush's trip “will be an opportunity to reaffirm the enduring commitment of the United States to the security of our friends and allies in the Middle East, especially the Gulf nations.” Bush's trip will begin in Israel, where he will land in Tel Aviv on Wednesday. He is scheduled to meet with Israeli President Shimon Peres and Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and then Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad. From Israel, he will travel to Kuwait, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates. He will give his only speech of the trip in Abu Dhabi. On Monday he will proceed from Dubai to Saudi Arabia, before traveling to Egypt and returning to the United States.
