US Vice President Richard Cheney is set to arrive in the Middle East this week and meet with leaders of several countries including Egypt and Saudi Arabia.
On Tuesday Cheney is scheduled to meet with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak as well as King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia. Cheney will also travel to Kuwait where he will pay respects to its late ruler, Sheikh Jaber Al Ahmad Al Sabah, who passed away on Sunday.
The trip, which began as part of a regional tour of the Middle East last December that was unexpectedly cut short, will reportedly focus on "counter-terrorism," energy, the Palestinian elections, and the impact of the situation of Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon on the region.
Cheney is also expected to discuss the investigation into the murder of former Lebanese premier Rafiq Hariri as well the Iran's controversial nuclear program during his stay.
Jon Alterman, director of the Middle East program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington told reporters, “He is going to speak for the administration to two very important countries," reported Reuters.
“The fact that he’s going is a sign of the attention that the United States pays to these relationships,” Alterman added.
King Abdullah, who met with US President George W. Bush at his Texas ranch in April, has pledged to improve its oil pumping infrastructure. Both the US and Saudi Arabia hope to keep oil flowing to meet consumer demand, as US officials cite high energy costs and their main economic worry.
Mubarak, on the other hand, is expected to discuss a possible free-trade agreement which it seeks with the US.
