US defense chief to make first Mideast trip

U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel will pay his first visit to the Middle East from April 20-27, which will take him to Israel, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), the Pentagon announced Wednesday.

While in Israel, Hagel will meet with his Israeli counterpart Moshe Ya'alon, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Shimon Peres "to further the close military to military relationship" between the two allies, the Pentagon said in a statement.

According to the statement, Iran's nuclear program and the civil war in Syria will dominate the talks during Hagel's talks with Israeli officials. Israel has long been worried about the Iranian program and threatened to launch a military strike on Iran even without the approval of the Obama administration, which currently prefers diplomacy and sanctions to war.

Hagel's visit to Israel follows on President Barack Obama's first trip to America's staunchest ally in the region in March. During his visit in Israel, Obama announced that the two countries would hold negotiations on a new 10-year agreement to provide Israel with military financing.

In Jordan, Hagel will "receive briefings on international efforts to address the crisis in Syria and discuss U.S. and Jordanian cooperation to prepare for a number of contingencies," the Pentagon said.

The Pentagon chief will then travel to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, where he will meet with Saudi leaders to discuss "regional defense matters," it added.

During his stay in Cairo, Egypt, Hagel will meet with senior Egyptian military and civilian officials "to discuss the U.S.- Egypt defense partnership, as well as Egypt's democratic transition."

In Abu Dhabi, UAE, the last leg of his visit, Hagel will hold meetings with top UAE officials on how to continue defense consultations, the Pentagon said.

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