 US President George Bush has painted a promising future for the Middle East, saying that a Palestinian state was now within reach.
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Delivering his annual State of the Union address, Bush also said the elections in Iraq marked a "new phase" in US efforts to train Iraqi security forces and that both liberty and democracy were on the march in the region. "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," Bush told the joint session of the US Congress and a televised audience of millions. With an eye on his place in history, Bush said spreading democratic reforms in the Middle East would help defeat "terrorists like those behind the September 11, 2001 attacks". |