Cohen visits Saudi Arabia

US Defense Secretary William Cohen arrived today in Jeddah coming from Bahrain at the beginning of a tour including nine countries in the Middle East, during which he will affirm the continuation of his country's policy toward Iraq.

He is expected to discuss in his tour the developments in Sudan, the peace process in the Middle East, the weapons of mass destruction issues and international terrorism, as he will promote the US weapons.

Cohen will also visit other Gulf Cooperation Council member states.

Cohen's visit to the area comes following the visit of the French and Italian defense ministers to area.

Saudi Arabia previously purchased US weapons worth billions of dollars, and the USA is considered Saudi Arabia's main provider of weapons which include jet fighters and the early warning system.