WASHINGTON, May 3: US Vice President Dick Cheney will travel to the Middle East next week, making stops in the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and Jordan, the White House announced on Thursday.

Cheney’s office said the vice president would head to the region on Tuesday and return on May 14. “President Bush has asked the vice president to travel to the region for discussions with the leaders of these nations on key issues of mutual interest,” his office said in a statement.

Cheney will meet with UAE President Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed al-Nahayan, King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia, Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, and Jordan's King Abdullah II, according to the statement.

“The vice president also will meet US military commanders and speak with US troops stationed in the Persian Gulf region,” it said. The trip will be Cheney's second major foray overseas this year: He travelled to Japan, Guam, Australia, Oman, Pakistan and Afghanistan in late February.—AFP