(Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State) - While he is in New York for the opening of the 61st U.N. General Assembly, President Bush will focus on his "freedom agenda," especially his positive vision for the Middle East, in both his speech to the assembly and during private meetings, according to senior administration officials, reports Trend.
"Because they know that freedom will defeat them, terrorists, tyrants and traitors to humanity are doing all they can to stop the expansion of freedom. The Middle East is the central battleground. The bright, democratic future that we see for the Middle East is in contra-distinction to some who have almost a backward looking vision for that region," a senior official who asked not to be identified told reporters September 15 via teleconference.
In his speech to the General Assembly September 19, Bush plans to emphasize the need to work with democratically elected governments such as those in Lebanon and Iraq to help strengthen their democratic institutions as well as help people in other countries achieve their freedom, the officials said. The president will be urging the international community to help those in the Middle East to realize that desire for freedom.
The freedom agenda is not for the Middle East alone, although the region -- particularly in Iraq, Lebanon and the Palestinian Territories -- is the main battleground in the struggle for democracy at this time, the officials said.
The president will have "in each case -- Iraq, Lebanon and the Palestinian Authority . . . very concrete suggestions about the path forward for realizing his vision of freedom and the role that the international community can play in that," one administration official said.
Iran also will be addressed in the president's speech. The Iranian people have the potential to be part of Bush's positive vision for the region, the officials said.
Bush will not be meeting with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who also will address the General Assembly on September 19. Iran's uranium enrichment program and its refusal to meet the Security Council's August 31 deadline to halt enrichment is expected to be a key topic during the assembly.
"We don't have contacts with the Iranians, and we're not going to have it, unless and until they suspend their enrichment-related activities," one official said.
MEETINGS SCHEDULED WITH LEADERS OF OTHER DEMOCRACIES
Even though military and police efforts are needed to combat terrorists, the ultimate weapons in the War on Terror are justice, freedom and opportunity -- topics that will be discussed in the president's private meetings September 18 with Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi of Malaysia, President Antonio Saca of El Salvador, President Ricardo Maduro of Honduras, President Jakaya Kikwete of Tanzania, and on September 19 with President Jalal Talabani of Iraq, the official said.
Malaysia, the official said, is a democratic country with a moderate form of Islamic government and "a very good demonstration of how Islam and democracy are fully compatible concepts."
Twenty years ago, El Salvador was torn by factional strife with insurgency, death squads and violence. Democracy seemed impossible, he said. But for the past 15 years El Salvador has been "a very successful democratic country where people who were former combatants have managed to reintegrate into what is a very prosperous, successful society."
Tanzania is "an emerging democracy in Africa, but there are serious concerns about terrorists using its terrain. So the president will engage with President Kikwete on the challenges of fighting terrorism in East Africa," the official said.
The president also will be participating in a meeting of the U.N. Democracy Fund, a group that was created in 2006 at the suggestion of President Bush to provide a way for established democracies to help new democracies and strengthen democratic institutions around the world.
The group of about 25 nations will meet for the first time with several nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) working on democracy issues such as training election observers or defending political prisoners. The group will discuss how the fund can support the work of NGOs worldwide.