INTERNATIONAL First lady's trip to shed light on women's rights

Laura Bush plans to speak about the gender gap in the Middle East.
DALLAS MORNING NEWS
WASHINGTON -- Resuming her newfound role as a public diplomat, first lady Laura Bush travels to the Middle East this week to spotlight what many call a major hurdle to regional peace: lack of rights for women.
With stops ranging from a girls' school in Egypt to a World Economic Forum meeting in Jordan, Bush's visit underscores concern that any elections in the Middle East would be worthless without economic and education opportunities for women.
"It's a part of reform -- a big part," said Judith Kipper, director of the Middle East Forum with the Council on Foreign Relations.
The first lady's trip, which begins Thursday with a flight to Jordan, comes at a sensitive time in the Middle East. Anti-American demonstrations grew violent after a now-retracted Newsweek report alleging desecration of the Quran during interrogations of Muslim prisoners.
After she arrives in Jordan, Bush plans to visit Queen Rania, a government-financed school and a foundation that helps poor women find jobs.
On Saturday, she will speak before the World Economic Forum, which this week released a report on the "gender gap index."
It measured how women compare with men in five areas: economic participation, economic opportunity, political power, educational attainment, and health and well-being.