ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates — President Bush on Sunday harshly criticized Iran for sponsoring terrorist activity from Afghanistan to Lebanon, and he called on nations throughout the world "to confront this danger before it is too late."
The president unleashed his attack on the government of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and on al-Qaeda during the signature speech of his eight-day trip to the Middle East. He also said governments in the region must do more to promote human rights and democratic reforms.
"Iran's actions threaten the security of nations everywhere," Bush told several hundred residents of this wealthy Muslim nation at the Emirates Palace, a $3 billion gold-and-marble hotel believed to be the most expensive ever built. "So the United States is strengthening our longstanding security commitments with our friends in the Gulf."
Backing up his words with weapons, Bush was set to unveil details Monday of a proposed $20 billion arms sale to Saudi Arabia and other Middle East countries. The package will require approval from Congress, where some Democrats have objected to the Saudi portion. "It's a big package that we have offered to the Saudis," said a senior administration official traveling with Bush.
Bush travels to Saudi Arabia on Monday for two days of meetings and social events with King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz in hopes of winning his support for continued pressure on Iran, as well as for the Israeli-Palestinian peace process. In recent months, the king has made overtures to Ahmadinejad, inviting him to the Hajj, the annual Muslim pilgrimage to Mecca, and walking with him arm in arm at a meeting of the Gulf Cooperation Council.
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