US Chief of staff in Saudi Arabia

US army chief of staff Gen. Henry Shelton on Sunday held talks with the Saudi crown prince, first deputy premier and chairman of the national guard Abdullah Bin Abdul Aziz, in the presence of high-ranking Saudi military officials.

The Saudi News Agency said Shelton, who arrived the kingdom on Saturday, also met with his Saudi counterpart, Let. Gen. Saleh Bin Ali al-Mahya

. Shelton will inspect US troops stationed in Saudi Arabia before heading to Kuwait and then to Egypt where he will be meet on Thursday with President Hosni Mubarak.

US warplanes are positioned near Riyadh to enforce an air embargo on southern Iraq. During the recent US-Iraqi crisis Saudi Arabia denied the use of its territories to strike Iraq.

On Monday Saudi Defense Minister Prince Sultan Bin Abdul Aziz discussed with the US army chief of staff several issues of mutual concern.