Khatami visits Saudi Arabia today

Iranian President Muhammad Khatami starts today a visit to Saudi Arabia during which he will hold talks with Crown Prince Abdullah Ibn Abdul Aziz amid the escalation of tension in the region concerning the likely American attacks against Iraq.

Saudi officials said on Tuesday that Khatami's visit to Saudi Arabia lasts for four days during which he will perform the Omra (minor al-Haj rituals), and then he will meet with the Saudi crown prince in Jeddah on Saturday.

A Saudi official told report said the two sides will discuss the situation in the Gulf region, the tension resulting from a likely American attack against Iraq.

Both Saudi Arabia and Iran oppose an attack against Iraq, while Riyadh rejects the launching of any attack from its territories.

Some 5,000 American troopers are stationed in Saudi Arabia.

Saudi- Iranian relations have been greatly improved since the election of the "moderate" Iranian President Muhammad Khatami in 1997 following two decades of differences between the two countries.