US Defence Secretary to Asia

The United States has announced that the Defence Secretary, William Cohen, will begin a tour of seven Asian countries on Monday.

Mr Cohen's eleven-day tour -- which was postponed in November due to the Iraq weapons inspection crisis -- will start in Malaysia and Indonesia.

Later he goes to Singapore, Thailand, China, Japan and South Korea.

American officials said a key reason for the tour is to assure Asian allies that the continuing American military presence in the region will act as a stabilizing factor.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service