Military

DATE= 4/29/2003

TYPE=CORRESPONDENT REPORT

TITLE=SAUDI/RUMSFELD (S)

NUMBER=2-302688

BYLINE=GREG LAMOTTE

DATELINE=CAIRO

CONTENT=

INTRO: Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld flew from Qatar to Saudi Arabia for meetings with top Saudi officials. V-O-A's Greg LaMotte reports Mr. Rumsfeld's visit coincides with a major announcement from the Pentagon.

TEXT: Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld arrived in Saudi Arabia as it was being announced that the United States will sharply reduce its military operations in the kingdom. Command of air operations over Iraq moved from Saudi Arabia to Qatar on Monday.

The defense secretary says Washington wants to maintain a healthy relationship with Saudi Arabia. But the U-S move will effectively end the more than 10-year period in which thousands of U-S troops have been stationed in Saudi Arabia. The country was a staging area for U-S attacks against Iraq during the first Gulf war, and to enforce the no-fly zones in northern and southern Iraq.

But Saudi Arabia refused to allow about 100 U-S aircraft in the kingdom to be used for direct attacks against Iraq during the latest conflict.

Secretary Rumsfeld is meeting with Saudi Defense Minister Prince Sultan bin Abdul-Aziz to discuss the reorganization of U-S forces in the area. (SIGNED)

NEB/GL/AWP/KBK/rae