Iraq to dominate Powell trip

Powell hopes to improve relations with the Middle East

US Secretary of State Colin Powell has arrived in Cairo at the start of a Middle East trip expected to be dominated by efforts to tighten sanctions against Iraq.

On his first trip abroad since taking office, Mr Powell hopes to improve relations with other Middle Eastern countries, especially in the light of the recent bombing of Baghdad which was criticised in the Arab world.

In the Egyptian capital he will meet President Hosni Mubarak, before travelling on to Tel Aviv to address the problems with ongoing violence in Israel.

Cairo is also the venue for his first meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov.

They will talk about US plans for a missile defence system, which the Russians strongly oppose, US officials say.

He will hold his first meeting with Igor Ivanov

The meeting has been billed as a get-to-know-you session and no major breakthroughs are expected on such a lengthy and tricky issue.

The other stops on the crowded four-day schedule are Jerusalem, Gaza, Amman, Kuwait, Damascus and Riyadh, with a day in Brussels on his way home on Tuesday.

In Israel he will listen to the proposals of the parties involved in the Arab-Israeli conflict, but with Prime Minister-elect Ariel Sharon still trying to form a government, US officials do not expect any bold initiatives.

Iraq policy

Mr Powell is hoping to make inroads on the issue of US policy towards Iraq.

President Bush said on Thursday that Mr Powell would "listen to our allies as to how best to effect a policy" towards Iraq based on preventing Iraq from developing weapons of mass destruction or threatening its neighbours.

The challenge for the United States is to stop Iraq obtaining military technologies while ensuring that Baghdad cannot blame sanctions for the hardships of ordinary Iraqis.

The sanctions, first imposed in 1990 after Iraq invaded Kuwait, were initially supported by most Arab countries.

But the measures have begun to be eroded, with more and more oil being exported from Iraq outside of the UN system.

The most recent airstrikes on the outskirts of Baghdad further undermined international support for Washington's Iraq policy.