Bush issues staunch warning against Iran and Syria

2/3/2005 8:00:00 PM GMT

The U.S. President George W. Bush prepared the world for more death and destruction on Wednesday when he warned Iran and Syria that they were next in his sight and that he would confront them.

In his annual State of the Union speech, the U.S. president revealed the agenda of his second presidential term in which he branded the Middle East countries as supporters of “terror and tyranny.”

"There are still governments that sponsor and harbor terrorists, but their numbers have declined.

"There are still regimes seeking weapons of mass
destruction, but they are no longer without attention and without consequence." Bush said.

He then singled out Syria, saying that it “still allows its territory and parts of Lebanon to be used by terrorists who seek to destroy every chance of peace in the region.

“You (Congress) have passed, and we are applying, the Syrian Accountability Act. And we expect the Syrian government to end all support for terror and open the door to freedom." He added.

Bush then challenged Iran, saying "And to the Iranian people, I say tonight: As you stand for your own liberty, America stands with you."

He also said that the U.S. was cooperating with the European Union to pressure Iran to scrap its nuclear program, but he also mentioned a much broader agenda that is aimed at removing the Iranian regime.

The UK Cabinet minister, Robin Cook, said after Bush’s speech that "If there were to be a further unilateral adventure by the Bush administration against Iran, I think that would undo any prospect of the kind of collaboration and co-operation they need on all the other fronts.”

The U.S. president also talked about ending the spread of weapons of mass destruction, his main reason, which was proved to be incorrect, for invading Iraq.

Despite his claims that he would not dictate on other countries how to deal with their internal affairs, he addressed the Saudi kingdom and Egypt.

"The government of Saudi Arabia can demonstrate its leadership in the region by expanding the role of its people in determining their future.” Bush said.

“And the great and proud nation of Egypt, which showed the way toward peace in the Middle East, can now show the way toward democracy in the Middle East." He added.

The U.S. president also talked about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, saying that “The goal of two democratic states, Israel and Palestine, living side by side in peace is within reach - and America will help them achieve that goal,"

He said that this commitment would be supported by $350m in aid to the Palestinians to back the "political, economic, and security reforms" and help in the reconstruction work after the planned Israeli withdrawal from settlements in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank.

In defiance to the harsh criticism from Democrats, the growing U.S. death toll from the Iraq war and the huge bill of more than $1 billion (£770 million) a week spent on the war, Bush insisted that he wouldn’t set a timetable for troop withdrawal from Iraq.

Instead he demanded the Congress to give him an additional $80 billion (£61.25 billion) to spend on the Iraq campaign.

"While our military strategy is adapting to circumstances (in Iraq), our commitment remains firm and unchanging." Bush said.