Bill Clinton warns of dire consequences in Mideast

The run-up to Bill Clinton's speech in Dubai was accompanied by pounding techno music, wildly cheering students and a dance team.

Former US president Bill Clinton warned of "dire consequences" if Palestinians do not believe that change is possible, in a speech to students at the American University of Dubai (AUD) on Wednesday.

- What leads to suicide bombings? - he asked. - The belief that change is not possible... the belief that in the absence of a cataclysmic event, tomorrow is going to be like yesterday.

- If we keep going on where the Palestinians think tomorrow will be like yesterday, there will be dire consequences - he told a packed hall at the university.

The former president's speech came as his wife Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was in Cairo for hastily arranged talks with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak to clarify remarks widely interpreted as a U-turn on US policy of demanding a freeze on all Jewish settlements.

The top US diplomat insisted that Washington was determined to push for a Palestinian state and said that the future of Jerusalem must be on the agenda of any peace talks.

The run-up to Bill Clinton's speech in Dubai was accompanied by pounding techno music, wildly cheering students and a dance team.

Clinton, who had previously spoken three times at AUD, discussed the dangers of climate change and said he thought it was possible for the Middle East to become energy independent.

- (That) would be the smartest thing the region ever did - he said.

Clinton also said - young women having the same chances as young men is key to the future of the Middle East.-