Vital Perspective

UAE Donated $1 Million to Bush Presidential Library

Sheik Zayed Bin Sultan al Nahyan and the people of the United Arab Emirates contributed at least $1 million to the Bush Library Foundation, which established the George Bush Presidential Library at Texas A&M University in College Station. The donations were made in the early 1990s for the library, which houses the papers of former President George H.W. Bush, the current president's father.

Lebanese Presidency a Source of Debate on Rice's Stop in Beirut

Dodging questions about U.S. support for particular candidates for the Lebanese presidency, Secretary Rice said that she believes Lebanon wants a "state that looks forward." That's dog-whistle politics for no U.S. support for General Aoun and his Hezbollah cronies. Read below the fold for the complete rundown of the Secretary's press availability with Prime Minister Fuad Siniora.

State Dept to Hamas: 'You Can't Push the Pause Button on Terror'

Iran, Hamas, UAE and Iraq were the hot foreign policy topics in Thursday's State Department briefing as Secretary Rice continued her trip through the Gulf today with stops in Lebanon and the UAE. Breakdown of the session and the full text transcript below the fold.

The Middle East Mystery Tour: Why Did Condi Stop in Beirut?

Secretary Rice made a surprise trip to Lebanon on Thursday between stops in Saudi Arabia and the UAE. For obvious security reasons, the trip was not publicly announced beforehand. While en route to Beirut, Rice discussed with reporters why she's making the stop and what she hopes to accomplish there. Read the interview below the fold.

Rice, Saudi FM Take Questions on Hamas, Iran, UAE and Democracy

On Wednesday, Secretary Rice and the Saudi foreign minister held joint media availability following their talks. As Rice continues to push for the isolation of Hamas by Arab states, questions floated in that direction. Other topics the diplomats faced questions over were the UAE port deal, Iran's weapons program, the UN investigation on the Hariri assassination, democracy in Egypt and the cartoon controversy. A breakdown and the full text below the fold.

Rice, Annan Headed to Middle East to Discuss Iran, Hamas and Cartoons

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice began a three-nation trip to Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the UAE on Tuesday to discuss regional issues, and UN S-G Kofi Annan will travel to Qatar this weekend "to promote religious and cultural understanding".

Rice will focus on Iran's nuclear ambitions, the political situation in Iraq, and the Palestinian territories following the recent election victory of Hamas. On her first stop in Egypt on Tuesday, Egyptian officials will hypocritically tell Rice not to rush to judgment when Hamas forms a government. Egypt continues to battle the banned Muslim Brotherhood, of whom Hamas originated. On Iran, according to the Eqyptian state news agency MENA, President Hosni Mubarak will tell Rice the region should be free of WMD.

Annan will address the issues raised by the caricatures and emphasize his opposition to the violent outbursts and the need for tolerance at a previously planned meeting of the UN-sponsored Alliance of Civilizations, UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said Monday.

U.S. Urges Arabs to Threaten Isolation on Iran

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice urged reluctant Arab nations on Friday to threaten to isolate Iran unless it bows to international pressure to curb its nuclear weapons program. Her appeal to Iran's neighbors came before she visits Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the UAE next week to lobby them to join a U.S. campaign against Iran's nuclear program.

"I would hope that those states that are worried about this ... are prepared to really say to the Iranians: 'You are going to be isolated from us too if you continue down this road,'" Rice said in an interview with Arab-based media about her planned talks on the trip.

Skepticism of U.S. plans are running high in the region, and Nile Gardiner of the Heritage Foundation has called Rice's appeal "a hard sell." "It's worth a try but we should be under no illusion just how difficult it will be to get Arab nations to isolate Iran," he said.

Secretary Rice to Travel to Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice will travel to Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates from February 20-24 for consultations with leaders on a broad array of bilateral and regional issues. While in the UAE, Rice will also meet with representatives of the Gulf Cooperation Council. Throughout her trip, Rice will be discussing efforts to advance the President's Freedom Agenda for the Middle East, as well as the strategic challenge to the world represented by the Iranian regime.