Bush ends peace mission without breakthrough

By Tabassum Zakaria

KUWAIT (Reuters) - U.S. President George W. Bush wrapped up his mission to Israel and the occupied West Bank on Friday, emboldened enough to have predicted a peace treaty within a year but with no major breakthroughs for his efforts.

Bush arrived on Friday evening in Kuwait, the first of five stops with Arab allies he hopes will aid the fragile peace process and help contain Iran's growing regional clout.

Bush met Kuwait's ruler, who thanked him for his efforts to make progress on issues crucial to the Middle East.

U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said talks would now turn to "the threats that we've seen in the Gulf, the problem of extremism, whether it be extremism from al Qaeda, Sunni extremism, or whether it be Iran and its tentacles, like Hezbollah and the part of Hamas that Iran supports."

Gulf states have battled al Qaeda militants in recent years, but they are also concerned about the crises in Lebanon and Iraq, as well as the standoff over Iran's nuclear programme.

Kuwaiti media said the emir, Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad al-Sabah, would tell Bush of his concerns that a U.S. strike on nearby Iran would destabilise the Gulf, key to world oil supplies.

Bush is likely hear a similar message from other Gulf Arab leaders who want to curb their Shi'ite Muslim neighbour's nuclear programme without resorting to war.

Kuwait, which also neighbours Iraq and is a base for thousands of U.S. troops, has said it will not allow the United States to use its territory for any strike against Iran.