Rice, Gates in Egypt to persuade Arabs

SHARM EL-SHEIKH, Egypt, July 31 (Reuters) US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Defence Secretary Robert Gates joined forces in the West Asia today to push Arab allies to do more to stabilise Iraq and counter the rise of Iran.

The top Bush administration officials, on a rare joint visit, met Arab ministers in Egypt with promises of tens of billions of dollars in US weapons and military aid they said would help counter al Qaeda, Hezbollah, Syria and Iran.

In another move that could please Washington's Arab friends, the United States signed a statement endorsing an Arab initiative for peace between Israel and the Palestinians.

But in public they gave no significant new details of the US proposal for a conference or meeting on West Asia peace later this year -- the main concern of the Arabs.

Rice and Gates, who later left for Saudi Arabia, appealed to Arab countries to do more to encourage reconciliation in Iraq.

''All parties need to really now throw their weight behind this effort for national reconciliation,'' said Rice at a news conference with Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit.

''It means an intensification of the efforts of those who have influence (in Iraq).'' The United States has repeatedly sought Arab help with Iraq although its Arab allies have little or no say there.

Saudi Arabia has some weight with Sunni Arab tribal leaders and Washington also wants Riyadh to tighten its border to stop Saudi militants loyal to al Qaeda going to fight in Iraq and staging suicide attacks against Iraqi Shi'ites and US forces.

Before leaving for the West Asia, Rice announced military aid to Egypt of 13 billion dollars over 10 years, the same level as for at least the last six years. But Washington is offering Israel an increase of about 25 per cent -- to 30 billion dollars over 10 years.

Defence officials said Saudi Arabia and other Gulf states would get at least 20 billion dollars in arms sales and other help over the next decade but final figures have not been agreed yet.

QUID PRO QUO DENIED Rice strongly denied that US weapons were being offered as a means of getting more help in Iraq, where the United States is battling Shi'ite militia and Sunni insurgents.

''This is not an issue of quid pro quo. We are working with these states to fight back extremism,'' Rice said.

Iran has criticised the promised arms sales, accusing the United States of trying to destabilise the region.

''If there is a destabilisation of the region it can be laid at the feet of an Iranian regime,'' said Rice.

Gates told a round table with Washington-based reporters that both the Egyptian government and some Washington politicians were worried about the consequences for any precipitous US withdrawal from Iraq.

''There is, I think, a growing body of opinion in Washington -- wherever you are on the issue of withdrawal -- that whatever we do next in Iraq needs to be done very carefully and with a view to the long-term stability of the region,'' he said.

At the talks in Sharm el-Sheikh, the United States signed a joint statement with Egypt, Jordan and six Gulf governments, endorsing the Arab peace initiative of 2002 as one of the foundations for West Asia peace.

The initiative offers Israel normal relations with all Arab countries in return for full withdrawal from the land which Israel captured in 1967. Israel at first rejected the plan, but has said recently it could be a basis for negotiation.

The statement indirectly called on Israel to join the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, saying it was important to make the treaty universal for all countries.

A senior US official said the statement was compatible with US policy as expressed on other occasions.

In her meetings, Rice discussed US plans for a conference this year to revive Arab-Israeli peace hopes.

''We want it to be a well prepared meeting that really does advance progress toward a two-state solution,'' said Rice. ''This conference shouldn't be thought of as 'Made In America'.'' The joint statement said the ministers ''welcomed the commitment expressed by US President George W Bush'' in his July 16 speech proposing the conference, but shed no further light on arrangements or who would attend.

At an Arab League meeting in Cairo yesterday, Arab foreign ministers gave only qualified support to the meeting idea. Syria objected, saying that to support the US proposal now would betray the Palestinian cause.

Reuters JT DB2244