US secretary of defense to visit Egypt

US Secretary of Defense William Cohen will visit Cairo next month within his regional tour to gather Arab support for the United States in its dispute with Iraq.

The US chief of staff, General Henry Shelton, arrived to Cairo for a formal visit that will conclude on Friday, during which Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak will meet with Egyptian Minister of Defense Mohammad Hussein Tantawi and his counterpart, Egyptian chief of staff Magdi Hatata.

Sources from the US embassy in Cairo told ArabicNews.com that the talks will tackle military cooperation between Egypt and the United States and the situation in the Gulf region after the agreement reached in Baghdad between United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan and Iraqi officials.

It is expected that these direct communications will help ease tensions between Cairo and Washington resulting from the Iraqi crisis. The communications also pave the way for an expected visit to be paid by Mubarak to Washington.