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SHANNON - US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice headed to the Middle East on Tuesday with huge military aid for allies like Egypt and Saudi Arabia, saying it would help counter al Qaeda, Hezbollah, Syria and Iran.
Rice, joining US Defence Secretary Robert Gates on a trip to Egypt and Saudi Arabia, planned to urge the region to do more to help over Iraq but dismissed suggestions the tens of billions of dollars in aid was a quid pro quo to get that assistance.
"This is not an issue of quid pro quo. We are working with these states to fight back extremism," said Rice, who spoke to reporters both en route to Egypt and before leaving Washington.
"We all have the same interest in a stable Iraq that can defend itself, defend its new political system and be unified," said Rice, whose plane made a refuelling stop in Ireland.
"This effort will help bolster forces of moderation and support a broader strategy to counter the negative influences of al Qaeda, Hezbollah, Syria and Iran."
Iran has criticised the military aid, accusing the United States of trying to create fear and mistrust in the Middle East and of aiming to destabilise the region.
"If there is a destabilisation of the region it can be laid at the feet of an Iranian regime," said Rice. "This is a positive agenda in the Middle East, not one that is a negative agenda or against someone."
Rice said the aid was not aimed at shifting the military balance in the region or kicking off a new arms race.
"There isn't anything new in the United States working with its allies for security cooperation. We are also determined to maintain the balances - the military and strategic balances - within the region that we have been committed to as well."
US President George W. Bush's administration says the Rice-Gates mission is meant to send a signal to long-standing US allies that Washington remains committed to the region despite its problems in Iraq and the growing strength of Iran.
Before leaving Washington, Rice said the United States planned to offer Egypt a $13 billion package and Israel $30 billion over 10 years - increases on previous military funding - as well as aid to Saudi Arabia and other Gulf states.
The Democrat-controlled US Congress still has to approve the funding.
Underlining the importance the Republican administration attached to the mission, Gates said: "For the secretary of state and the secretary of defence to travel together to any region ... is at a minimum very rare if not unprecedented."
One main goal was to "reaffirm that the Persian Gulf and the Middle East are of enduring vital interest to the United States and that we will continue to have a strong presence in the region, as we have had for decades," Gates told reporters.
Rice and Gates plan to reassure Arab allies anxious about Iran and get support for a Middle East peace conference planned for later this year.
Privately, Bush administration officials are increasingly frustrated at Sunni-dominated Saudi Arabia's attitude towards the Shi'ite-led Iraqi government, but Rice sought to play down that criticism ahead of talks in Jeddah.
She praised Saudi Arabia for offering debt relief to Baghdad and for attempting to better secure its border with Iraq.
Rice and Gates will meet ministers from the six-member Gulf Cooperation Council as well as from Jordan and Egypt in the Egyptian Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh on Tuesday.
The council groups Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
Later in the day, Rice and Gates will travel to Saudi Arabia for dinner with King Abdullah before going their separate ways on Wednesday. Rice will meet Israeli and Palestinian leaders before returning to Washington on Thursday.
- REUTERS
