In a speech at the opening of the World Economic Forum in the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh, US President George W Bush preached to the Arab world about the benefits of democracy and universality of freedom, dpa reported.
In the speech, which sounded like an ode to freedom, Bush renewed his calls for more democratization and freedom in the Middle East.
Arab leaders were urged to join the ranks of countries like Chile, Indonesia and Turkey, which embraced democracy "on their own terms" after they languished under dictatorships for decades.
"Freedom is a universal right," Bush said, adding that an opinion poll conducted in the Middle East showed a majority favouring democracy.
Earlier at the opening of the forum, Egyptian President Hosny Mubarak was clear about one thing: any democratic reforms should take into account the cultural particularity of different countries.
Mubarak's argument has been dismissed by political activists in his country as a pretext to pursue repressive policies and tighten the noose on opposition groups, ranging from the fundamentalist Muslim Brotherhood to vibrant cyber activists.
Bush's direct criticism of Egypt's slacking democratic reforms has been as strong as past ones.
Economic reforms alone, no matter how successful they are, should be accompanied by political reforms, Bush said mentioning Egypt by name.
The sceptics of democracy were chided for advancing a "condescending moral relativism."
Democracy does not conflict with Islam and religion, Bush said.
"Release prisoners of conscience and let people chart their own future," Bush said in what Mubarak may take as another criticism of his continued refusal to release Aymen Nour, an opposition leader, now serving a jail sentence.
Nour's trial was widely perceived by many political activists as a politically motivated case, especially as the jailed politician came second after Mubarak in the last presidential election in 2006.
"Terrorists can survive in a democratic society," Bush went on in his pro-democracy sermon.
Arab leaders were urged to follow the footsteps of Iraq and Afghanistan, which Bush praised as models for democratic changes.
" Iraq and Afghanistan are precisely two examples that should not be followed," said a prominent Arab journalist, Jihad al-Khazin, criticizing Bush's statement.