ABU DHABI Ñ Pakistan's military ruler plans to tour Gulf Arab states
for help in Islambad's war effort against India.
Gulf defense sources said Musharraf's visit will take place as U.S.
Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld arrives in the Persian Gulf. Rumsfeld met
Kuwaiti leaders on Sunday and plans to arrive in Bahrain on Monday. He will
travel to Saudi Arabia before he arrives in India and Pakistan later this
week.
Gen. Pervez Musharraf plans to visit the United Arab Emirates and Saudi
Arabia this week in search of financial and political support for Islamabad
in its current conflict with India, Middle East Newsline reported. Both Gulf Cooperation Council states are
regarded as key allies of Pakistan.
Musharraf will arrive in Abu Dhabi on Monday for a two-day visit. On
Tuesday, the Pakistani ruler will visit Jedda.
The Saudi daily Al Watan reports that Musharraf will meet Saudi Crown
Prince Abdullah Bin Abdul Aziz. The newspaper said the two men will review
the Indian-Pakistani showdown and discuss ways to defuse the conflict
between the nuclear powers.
Gulf Defense sources said Musharraf is seeking Saudi aid for the
purchase of weapons. The sources said Pakistan also wants Riyad to press the
United States to stop any Indian attack.
Both Saudi Arabia and the UAE have expressed concern over the prospect
of a war between India and Pakistan. They have warned that any war could
devastate both South Asia and the Persian Gulf.
At the same time, Gen. Tommy Franks, chief of U.S. Central Command, is
expected to arrive in Abu Dhabi for military talks with the UAE. The UAE has
been cited as an ally in the U.S.-led war against terrorism.
In an unrelated development, Britain and Saudi Arabia held military
cooperation talks on Sunday. The discussion took place during the visit by
British Royal Air Force Chief of Staff Peter Squire, who met Saudi Chief of
Staff Gen. Saleh Ibn Ali Al Muhaya.
