MANAMA, 20 April 2004 — US Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage arrived in Bahrain yesterday, the state news agency BNA reported, as he continued a Middle East tour which aides said had already taken him to Jordan and Iraq. Armitage is expected to hold talks with senior officials, BNA said, without providing further details.
The US State Department announced last week that Armitage would travel to a number of Middle East countries to urge recognition of Iraq’s first post-occupation government which is due to take power by June 30.
In addition, Armitage will urge his hosts to back Israeli-Palestinian peace efforts and introduce broad democratic and economic reform, the department said.
Spokesman Richard Boucher said Armitage would leave Washington on Friday and visit “Gulf states” and “some of Iraq’s neighbors” but declined to give details of his itinerary, citing security concerns.
However State Department officials in Washington said Armitage had already made unannounced visits to Jordan and Iraq. They said they also expected him to visit Kuwait, although not Iran, Syria or Turkey.
As well as Bahrain, he is also expected to visit Egypt and perhaps Oman and Qatar, the officials said, adding that several stops in Europe on his return trip were also possible. Bahrain is home to some 5,000 Americans and hosts the US Navy’s Fifth Fleet.
