RIYADH, July 12: At a point when reports of continued US preparation for a military assault on Iraq are pouring in, a Saudi source has confirmed that Iraqi Kurdish leader Jalal Talbani was in the Kingdom, “to perform Umrah like any other Muslim.”

While US President George Bush has vowed to use “all tools” at his disposal to oust Iraqi President Saddam Hussein, analysts here are interpreting Talbani’s visit to Saudi Arabia as significant.

According to reports, Jalal Talbani arrived in Saudi Arabia at the head of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) delegation. The PUK is one of the two main Kurdish factions sharing control of northern Iraq with the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) of Massoud Barzani.

The PUK Foreign Affairs Chief, Sadi Ahmad Pire, was quoted as telling the press that Talabani would stay in Saudi Arabia for several days and would hold talks with Saudi officials on issues related to the situation in Iraq.