Vice President Dick Cheney will visit Israel, the United Kingdom and nine other countries in mid-march for talks on the future of the war on global terrorism, a top aide said. ''The Vice President will hold wide ranging discussions on matters of mutual interests including our ongoing campaign against terrorism and other regional security issues,'' top Cheney aide Mary Matalin said on Wednesday.
She said, “Cheney will visit Kuwait, Egypt, United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Qatar, Turkey, Oman, Jordan and Israel. He also will visit US troops.”
Asked whether Cheney would be unveiling the next stage in the US led war on terrorism, following the campaign in Afghanistan, matalin said, ''This (trip) is not to announce something ... But obviously we talked about it in the state of the union and we just want to continue the discussions.''
She said Cheney had no plans to meet Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat and that the trip was not intended as a means to further the middle east peace process. Bureau Report