WASHINGTON: US Defense Secretary Robert Gates departs Sunday for talks in Egypt and Saudi Arabia focused on “regional security and Middle East peace efforts, a Pentagon official said.
Gates and officials in both countries “are likely to discuss the regional security situation, Iraq and Afghanistan, the Middle East peace process, as well as Iran’s role in the region, a US defense official told reporters.
“Fundamentally this is about maintaining and enhancing our relations with these two old, close allies, said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity.
Gates would also urge both countries to take on a greater diplomatic presence in Baghdad, to forgive the Iraqi government’s debt and to include Baghdad in the region’s security discussions and organizations, he said.
“I think we will be encouraging – in both places – increased engagement in Baghdad, the official said.
Given concern in Arab capitals about Baghdad’s friendly relations with neighboring Iran, “the secretary believes one way to counter-balance the Iranian or Persian influence in Baghdad is having more Arabic engagement there as well, he added.
Iraq’s Shia-dominated government has sought to improve its ties with Sunni-led Arab states after Egypt’s ambassador to Baghdad was kidnapped and assassinated in 2005.
During Gate’s visit to Egypt, he was expected to discuss US assistance for Cairo as it attempts to stem smuggling through tunnels on its border with the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip, the official said.
Egypt, under pressure from Israel and the United States, has taken increasingly robust measures to crack down on the smuggling.
The Palestinians have used hundreds of tunnels to ferry food and other supplies into Gaza, which has been under a crippling blockade since June 2007, when Hamas assumed power in the territory.
Israel says the tunnels are also used to smuggle rockets and other weapons into the densely populated enclave.
In Saudi Arabia, it was likely Gates would discuss Riyadh’s possible role in helping the Afghan government reconcile with more moderate elements of the Taliban insurgency.
No other details of the defense secretary’s tour were announced. -AFP
