AMMAN - US First Lady Laura Bush arrived Friday in Jordan, as part of a regional tour, to attend the World Economic Forum and deliver a speech in which she hopes to make the case for empowering women.
The wife of US President George W. Bush will address the WEF Saturday "to share a message of hope and optimism about freedom in the Middle East ... and the importance of empowering women," the US embassy said in a statement.
"The real purpose of the speech is to talk about how women want the same things that men do," Laura Bush told Fox News television on Thursday.
"They want to have a place in society, they want to be able to be educated, they want to make sure their children are educated. They want to be advocates for their children and their families," she added in the interview.
Laura Bush is on a six-day regional tour that will also take her to Israel and Egypt, White House spokesman Scott McClellan said Tuesday.
"The trip is an opportunity for Mrs Bush to reinforce our commitment to promote freedom and supporting women and girls accross the Middle East," he said earlier this week.
"It will highlight our commitment to working together with the people of the Middle East to build a better future," he added.
05/20/2005 14:31 GMT