US envoys Rice, Gates in Egypt to drum up Arab support

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Source: CCTV.com | 08-01-2007 10:34

US Secretary of Defence Robert Gates (L) and US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice (C) meet with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak in the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh.(AFP)

US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Defense Secretary Robert Gates are in Egypt to talk with Arab leaders about Iraq and the stalled Mideast peace process.

Rice and Gates are making a rare joint show of diplomatic force. It's part of the latest US effort to drum up support for the Shi'ite-led government in Baghdad. Their visit also opens talks on a proposed US arms package for Arab states, estimated at more than 20 billion US dollars.

Rice said, "The United States is determined to assure our allies that we are going to be reliable in helping them to meet their security needs. We have a lot of interest in common in this region; the fight against terrorism and extremism, and protecting the gains of peace processes of the past, and in extending those gains to peace processes of the future."

The arms package is aimed at bolstering forces of moderation in the troubled region.

The arms sales are expected to include air-to-air missiles and a number of other sophisticated weaponry. Specific figures for Saudi Arabia and its neighbors will be determined in the coming weeks.

But the package will also be balanced with a more than 25 percent increase in military aid to Israel over the next 10 years.

Rice said the arms deal, along with an aid package for Israel and Egypt, was not a trade-off for Arab assistance in Iraq, but the fruit of years of partnership and a recognition of the region's strategic importance.

She also commented on potential Mideast peace talks, saying that, in order to stabilize the region, the international community must support the peace process.

Editor:Du Xiaodan