RIYADH, April 29: The United States is withdrawing its air force from Saudi Arabia by mutual agreement now the threat from Iraq has gone, US Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said on Tuesday.

The key US air operations centre for the Gulf shifted to neighbouring Qatar, which has stormy ties with Saudi Arabia and has courted the US security umbrella to protect multi-billion dollar investments in a burgeoning gas industry.

“By mutual agreement the aircraft that have been involved will be able to leave,” Mr Rumsfeld told a press conference with Saudi Defence Minister Prince Sultan.

Both men put a positive spin on the evacuation, stressing there were no differences despite repeated US reports of strained ties in the aftermath of the Sept 11 suicide hijackings, in which US alleges 15 Saudis played a major role.

“They will leave with us grateful for the cooperation and support Saudi Arabia has provided,” Mr Rumsfeld said.

“Over time we anticipate our forces in the region will be reduced. Needless to say that will be done in a manner I hope that will reflect the close cooperation and friendship between our countries.”

“We discussed the change that did take place in the region ... That it is a safer region after ... the successful liberation of Iraq. We will rearrange our forces in this part of the world,” he added.

Sultan said that following the end of aerial monitoring of Iraq under Operation Southern Watch, “there’s no need for them to be here.

“This does not mean we have requested them to move, and it does not mean our friendship has been (adversely) affected.

“The cooperation between our two countries was going on even before Desert Storm and it will continue even after the end of the war in Iraq.”

He said Saudi Arabia, which provided a launchpad for coalition forces during Operation Desert Storm to oust Iraqi forces from Kuwait in 1991, was looking to the United States now for military training and technology.

Prince Sultan said he does not believe Iran looks to Iraq with any animosity and hoped that Iraq would soon return to Arab ranks after Saddam had “divided the Arab world and the Gulf region”.

Riyadh refused to take part in the Iraq invasion without full UN backing, although the command centre at Prince Sultan coordinated the air operations against Baghdad.

Mr Rumsfeld confirmed what senior US officials announced earlier in the day that the US air force was leaving the desert kingdom where the number of US military personnel doubled to 10,000 for the Iraq conflict.

A state-of-the art combined air command centre (CAOC) switched on Monday from Prince Sultan airbase, south of Riyadh, to Al-Udeid air base, in Qatar.

Rear Admiral David Nichols, deputy commander of the air operation centre, told reporters US air operations would be shut down totally at Prince Sultan base by the end of the summer.

“We already have switched” the air operations centre from Prince Sultan to Al-Udeid in Qatar, Nichols said.

“As of yesterday (Monday) the ATO (Air Tasking Order) is being planned and executed out of Al-Udeid.”

The US Air Force has been using the giant Al-Udeid facility, south of Doha, to run air operations in Afghanistan and the Horn of Africa.

Asked how many aircraft would remain at the base by the end of the summer, Air Force spokesman Major General Ronald Rand replied: “US aeroplanes zero.”

At the peak of operations during the Iraq war, as many as 2,700 missions a day were handled by the headquarters in Saudi Arabia.

About 100 coalition aircraft were still at Prince Sultan base, 80kms south of the capital, on Tuesday, compared to a peak of 200.—AFP