Cheney plans Middle East tour

REGIONAL TOUR: Cheney, pictured, plans to visit Oman, Saudi, Israel, West Bank and Turkey. (AFP)

US Vice President Richard Cheney will tour key American allies in the Middle East later this month, the White House announced early Monday.

Cheney will leave on March 16 and will make stops in Oman, Saudi Arabia, Israel, the West Bank and Turkey "for discussions with these key partners on issues of mutual interest", the White House statement said.

The trip follows another to the region by US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, during which she secured a promise from Israel and the Palestinians to resume peace talks, despite recent Israeli strikes in the Gaza Strip.

But the situation was likely to be complicated in the wake of a of decision by Jerusalem authorities to build a new Jewish settlement in the annexed eastern part of the city, a move that could further hamper efforts to restart faltering peace talks.

The project entails construction of 400 homes in mainly Arab East Jerusalem but is subject to approval from the regional council for urban planning, according to Yossi Gottesman, a spokesman for the mayor's office.

Print | Email | Discuss this article

| Share |

READERS' COMMENTS

Click here to post a comment

Add your Comment All posts are sent to the administrator for review and are published only after approval. ArabianBusiness.com reserves the right to remove any comment at any time for any reason. Please keep your responses appropriate and on topic. Arabian Business would like to point out that only comments relevant to the story will be published. Any containing personal insults or inappropriate language will not be approved.
Name *
Remember me on this computer
Email *	(Your email address will not be published)
City
Country
Subject *
Comment *
Notify me of further comments
Enter the words above *
Please click post only once - your comment will not be published immediately.

MORE FROM ARABIANBUSINESS.COM