President Bush used the closing speech of what could be the final Middle East tour of his presidency to scold Arab governments for failing to give their citizens more freedom.

President Mubarak of Egypt denounced US economic policies that have aggravated world food shortages and fuelled a growing gap between rich and poor.

The tension between the allies underscored how Washington’s “freedom agenda” in the region had failed to gain traction. Mr Bush admitted as much, taking an unusually strident tone with Arab leaders for discriminating against women and punishing dissidents.

“Too often in the Middle East, politics has consisted of one leader in power and the opposition in jail,” he said. “The time has come for nations across the Middle East to abandon these practices and treat their people with the dignity and respect they deserve.”

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