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Bush To Keep Pressure On Syria
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- President Bush views the situation in Lebanon as a critical and immediate test to keep the momentum of democratic reform building in the Middle East after decades of stagnation and will say so in a speech Tuesday morning, senior officials tell CNN.
Bush is expected to use an address on the war on terrorism to make clear that Syria's plans to redeploy its troops within Lebanon fall far short of his call for a complete and immediate withdrawal of Syrian troops and intelligence service personnel, senior officials familiar with the speech said Monday.
The White House on Monday called the Syrian announcement a "half measure" and said it was unacceptable to the United States, France and other countries. Those countries have called on Damascus to comply with a U.N. resolution demanding a complete withdrawal of Syrian forces from Lebanon.
Bush's speech is scheduled for 10:15 a.m. ET at the National Defense University in Washington.
In advance of the speech, Bush had telephone conversations with French President Jacques Chirac and Saudi Crown Prince Abdullah to discuss the efforts to pressure Syria, as well as other political developments in the region, U.S. officials said.
One senior official said Bush would speak of "remarkable" progress after decades of political stagnation in the region, specifically citing the elections in Iraq, Afghanistan and the Palestinian territories. He is expected to point to other steps toward reform in the region, including the recent municipal elections in Saudi Arabia.
Bush will suggest that solidifying and advancing those political gains is a "generational challenge" and critical to progress in the war on terror, the officials said.
Bush plans to repeat U.S. demands that Iran foreswear a nuclear weapons program and enter into an agreement with the international community that allows for comprehensive monitoring of its nuclear program. But the officials said Bush is not ready to announce the results of an administration review designed to give that effort new impetus.
Bush is considering endorsing a European plan to offer Iran economic incentives as part of the negotiations being led by Britain, France and Germany. Administration officials say that while he remains poised to embrace the so-called EU3 approach, conversations with European allies over other key questions -- including the U.S. view that any offer of incentives also must include clear consequences if Iran refuses the deal -- were continuing.
For more information, visit http://www.cnn.com.
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