By RIA Novosti
Washington : US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Defence Secretary Robert Gates are Monday beginning a Middle East tour to gain Gulf support on Iraq, curb Iran's growing ambitions and promote the Palestinian-Israeli peace talks, the State Department said.
Diplomatic sources in Washington said Rice and Gates would travel to Sharm el-Sheikh in Egypt to meet foreign ministers from Egypt and Jordan and those from the Gulf Cooperation Council – involving Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. They will then travel to Jeddah in Saudi Arabia to meet King Abdullah.
President George W. Bush announced the tour July 12. "They will meet our allies, re-emphasize our commitment to the international compact of Sharm el-Sheikh, reassure our friends that the Middle East remains a vital strategic priority for the US," he said.
Rice will then visit Israel to speak with Palestinian and Israeli officials and return to Washington Aug 2 while Gates will visit Gulf countries.
Aides to Rice and Gates, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the visit had three main goals: to persuade Iraq's neighbours to increase aid to the violence-torn country, to boost the Palestinian-Israeli peace process, hold back Iran's increasing ambitions in the region and reassure allies of US commitment.
According to the Washington Post, the agenda also includes arms sales worth $20 billion to Gulf states, which will include air-to-air missiles, precision guidance systems and the Patriot air defence system.