US President George W. Bush on Monday called Iran the "single biggest threat" to peace in the Middle East ahead of a visit to the region centered on celebrations of Israel's 60th anniversary. "To me it's the single biggest threat to peace in the Middle East, the Iranian regime," because of its nuclear programme and its support of groups like the Lebanese Hizbullah militia, Bush told Israel's Channel 10.
"Their funding of Hizbullah -- look what's happening in Lebanon now, a young democracy trying to survive," Bush said in excerpts of an interview to be broadcast in its entirety on Tuesday.
"By the way it's in Israel's interest that the Lebanese democracy survives. You need to be concerned about Iran and you are concerned about Iran and so are we," Bush said.
Bush declined to comment on a major corruption investigation recently launched against the Israeli premier Ehud Olmert, saying only that he has "great relations with the prime minister." "I find him to be a frank man and an honest man and an open man," Bush said.
Meanwhile, US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice on Monday intensified diplomatic efforts to end the violence in Lebanon and shore up its government, conceding the situation was "very fragile." Before joining in a conference call with top Arab and European diplomats later Monday, Rice hailed Arab states for rejecting militia attacks. "I think it was a good statement," Rice told reporters in Washington after Arab League foreign ministers issued a statement in Cairo on Sunday.
The resolution underlined the Arab League's "rejection of the use of armed violence to achieve political goals outside the framework of constitutional legitimacy, and the need for a withdrawal of all weapons from the streets."
According to AFP, Rice said: "It made very clear that the militias should not be in the streets, that to use force of arms against ones own people is something that is clearly illegitimate.
"And there is a legitimate government of Lebanon we are working with others to support and sustain it," said Rice after meeting members of a State Department advisory board on promoting democracy worldwide.
She then called for all those "interfering" with a process to elect a consensus candidate for president of Lebanon to "step aside and let it take place."
In meeting with the democracy advisory panel, Rice urged patience in their hopes for democracy in the Middle East. "Lebanon," Rice said after a panel member asked whether democracy was advancing or retreating in the Middle East. "Yeah, it's very fragile."
And in Lebanon, a parliament vote scheduled on Tuesday to elect a president has been postponed until June when a 20th attempt will be made by rival parties to pick a new head of state, a television report said. Speaker Nabih Berri decided to postpone the session to June 10, the private LBC channel said.
