Sharm El Sheikh (Egypt): US President George W Bush wrapped up a tour of the Middle East today after failing to win full backing from Arab allies for his efforts to seal a peace deal and isolate Iran.

Bush made only a flying visit to Egypt for talks with President Hosni Mubarak, who welcomed the US leader in the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh without ceremony in a sign of cooling ties between the two allies. After their meeting, Bush again took aim at Iran -- this time over its alleged interference in Lebanon -- and called on Egypt to take a leading role in boosting democracy in the Middle East.

The US president had arrived from Saudi Arabia, saying he hoped OPEC would increase output to help ease recession fears at home, saying the "very high" prices were tough on the US economy. OPEC is due to meet in Vienna on February 1 under pressure to calm prices which hit 100 dollars a barrel at the start of the year, and a White House spokeswoman said Bush raised the issue directly with King Abdullah yesterday.

"The president said there's a hope that as a result of these conversations that OPEC would be encouraged to authorise an increase in production," Dana Perino said. The three-hour stop was the final leg of a tour which has seen Bush try to drum up support for his goal of an Israeli-Palestinian peace deal by the time he leaves office in January 2009 as well as Washington s face-off with Iran.

Relations with Egypt have faltered over Washington's criticism of Cairo's perceived failure to secure its border with the Gaza Strip, now run by the Islamist Hamas movement regarded as a terror group by Israel and the West.

Source : PTI