SHARM EL-SHEIK, Egypt — Arab leaders, meeting with President Bush as he plunged into the labyrinth of Mideast peace talks, pledged today to fight terror and violence and called on Israel to "rebuild trust and restore normal Palestinian life."
"We will continue to fight the scourge of terrorism against humanity and reject the culture of extremism and violence in any form or shape — from whatever source or place, regardless of justifications or motives," Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak said, reading a statement on behalf of the leaders of Jordan, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia — all U.S. allies — and the Palestinian Authority.
"We will use all the power of the law to prevent support reaching illegal organizations including terrorist groups," Mubarak said.
Bush, at the edge of the Red Sea, with Mubarak at his side, said: "We meet in Sinai at a moment of promise for the cause of peace in the Middle East."
Terror threatens the United States, Israel and the emergence of a Palestinian state, he said.
"Terror must be opposed and it must be defeated," Bush said.
But Bush, making his first major foray into Middle East peacemaking, made clear that both Arabs and Israelis bear responsibility for achieving peace. "Israel must deal with the settlements," he said. "Israel must make sure there's a continuous territory that the Palestinians can call home."
Today's meeting served as a prelude to face-to-face talks Wednesday among Bush, Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and his counterpart, Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas, in Jordan.
The Arab leaders embraced the internationally crafted "road map" for peace, which calls for an independent Palestinian state by 2005.
"We support the determination of the Palestinian Authority to fulfill its responsibilities to end violence and to restore law and order," Mubarak said as Abbas looked on.
At the same time, Mubarak added: "Israel must fulfill its own responsibilities to rebuild trust and restore normal Palestinian life, and carry out other obligations under the road map."
The Arab leaders' statement, however, contained few specifics in terms of what Arab leaders were willing to do to advance the peace plan. Mubarak did not expressly voice strong support for Abbas as the Palestinian leader and he did not say other Arab nations were willing to follow his nation's lead in recognizing Israel's right to exist — a key step of the peace plan.
"If all sides fulfill their obligations, we can make steady progress on the road towards Palestinian statehood, a secure Israel and a just and comprehensive peace," Bush said. "We seek true peace, not just a pause between more wars and intefadehs, but a permanent reconciliation among the peoples of the Middle East."
Mubarak said they would help the Palestinian Authority fight terrorists "to allow it to consolidate its authority in democratic and accountable institutions" and would make sure that all aid to Palestinians goes to solely to their official leadership.
Bush, who initiated the summit here, was in the driver's seat — literally. He took the wheel of a large golf cart to ferry the leaders to their joint appearance at podiums set up with the sea as their backdrop. Mubarak, his eyes hidden by sunglasses, was his co-pilot.
"Achieving these goals will require courage and moral vision from every side from every leader," Bush said. "America is committed and I am committed in helping all the parties to reach the hard and heroic decisions that will lead to peace."
Also attending were Saudi Crown Prince Abdullah, Bahrain's King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa and Jordan's King Abdullah II. Egypt and Jordan have peace treaties with Israel.
Eschewing a formal session on the schedule, White House press secretary Ari Fleischer said Bush and the five Arab leaders gathered for 90 minutes in a "spontaneous" meeting without staff. Still, they went through the motions of marching into a meeting room, briefly took their seats around a large octagonal table in front of a stand of participating nations, then broke for lunch.
Sitting at the table, Bush said: "We must not allow a few people, a few killers, a few terrorists, to destroy the dreams and hopes of the many."
Pointing directly at Abbas, Bush said, "You, sir, have got a responsibility, and you've assumed it. I want to work with you and so do the other leaders here."
U.S. officials expect the Arab leaders to express support for Abbas, not longtime Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat, as the Palestinian representative in negotiations with Israel.
In briefings afterward, Secretary of State Colin Powell sought to further sideline Arafat. He said that although the United States still recognizes Arafat as an elected president who has standing with the Palestinians, "his leadership has failed."
"We are on a path to create a state for the Palestinian people," Powell said. "For Mr. Arafat to serve as a spoiler or attempt to be a spoiler, I hope will be met by resistance from all of the Arab leaders who are here today."
While Mubarak stopped short of endorsing the new Palestinian leader by name, he expressed support for his call for ending violence and maintaining law and order.
"We will ensure that our assistance to the Palestinians goes solely to the Palestinian Authority and we will continue to support efforts to improve the quality of life of the Palestinian people," he said.
Syria on Tuesday slammed the Sharm El Sheik summit, accusing the United States of being one-sided in its desire to combat Mideast terrorism — paying more attention to Palestinian suicide bombers than to violence by Israeli troops.
It seems that the terrorism the United States wants to fight is "martyrdom operations against the Israeli occupation," the state-run Damascus Radio said. "In the meantime, Israeli occupation, crimes of mass punishment, killing women, children and youngsters and destroying houses, farms and crops come in the framework of self-defense."
The United States is promising to increase its presence in the region. Bush was expected to name John S. Wolf, assistant secretary of state for nonproliferation and a longtime Foreign Service veteran, to head a new U.S.-led monitoring team that will track whether Israeli and Palestinian officials keep their obligations.
Contributing: Dan Ephron.