Congress is urged to double fund for fighting against
AIDS
US President George W. Bush gestures as
he delivers the final State of the Union address of his presidency
to a joint session of Congress at the US Capitol building in
Washington, January 28, 2008
US President George W. Bush, in his final State of the Union
address on Monday night, urged the Congress to double its initial
commitment to fight against HIV/AIDS by approving an additional $30
billion over the next five years.
"With your help, we are working to cut by half the number of
malaria-related deaths in 15 African nations. And our Emergency
Plan for AIDS Relief is treating 1.4 million people. We can bring
healing and hope to many more," Bush told the joint session of the
Congress.
?"So I ask you to maintain the principles that have changed
behavior and made this program a success. And I call on you to
double our initial commitment to fighting HIV/AIDS by approving an
additional $30 billion over the next five years," Bush said.
US will confront Iran if necessary
US President George W.
Bush delivers the final State of the Union address of his
presidency to a joint session of Congress in front of Speaker of
the House Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) and Vice President Dick Cheney (L) at
the US Capitol building in Washington January 28,
2008.
Bush warned in his final State of the Union address that the
United States will confront Iran if necessary to defend its
interests in the Gulf.
"But above all, know this: America will confront those who
threaten our troops, we will stand by our allies, and we will
defend our vital interests in the Persian Gulf," Bush said.
Bush also urged Iran to suspend its uranium enrichment and start
negotiations.
Time has come for Israeli-Palestinian peace
Bush said "the time has come" for a democratic Israel and
democratic Palestine to live side by side in peace.
"The time has come for a Holy Land where a democratic Israel and
a democratic Palestine live side by side in peace," Bush said.
"Palestinians have elected a president who recognizes that
confronting terror is essential to achieving a state where his
people can live in dignity and at peace with Israel," Bush
said.
"Israelis have leaders who recognize that a peaceful, democratic
Palestinian state will be a source of lasting security," Bush
said.
Bush visited Israel, the Palestinian territories earlier this
month in a bid to promote the peace process that he revived at the
international conference in Annapolis, Maryland in November.
Surge plan achieves gains in Iraq
Bush said that his surge plan to dispatch some 30,000 more US
troops to Iraq last year has achieved gains in Iraq.
"While the enemy is still dangerous and more work remains, the
American and Iraqi surges have achieved results few of us could
have imagined just one year ago," Bush said.
Nonetheless, Bush admitted that US enemies in Iraq have been hit
hard but not yet defeated.
"Our enemies in Iraq have been hit hard. They are not yet
defeated, and we can still expect tough fighting ahead," Bush
said.
"Our objective in the coming year is to sustain and build on the
gains we made in 2007, while transitioning to the next phase of our
strategy. American troops are shifting from leading operations to
partnering with Iraqi forces and, eventually, to a protective
overwatch mission," Bush added.
(Xinhua News Agency January 29, 2008)
