U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Defense Secretary Robert Gates will travel to the Middle East next week to rally support for Iraq.

The two are set to meet ministers of the Persian Gulf Cooperation Council as well as Jordan and Egypt in Sharm El Shaikh on Tuesday, followed by meetings in Saudi Arabia. ""This is more about optics than substance,"" said an Arab diplomat. ""They want to show … that there is regional consultation on Iraq and regional support for the surge."" State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said the duo hoped for strong statements of support from Persian Gulf countries. ""On all the stops, we will be wanting more active, positive support for Iraq and the Iraqi people,"" McCormack said. (Source: gulfnews.com) -------------------------------------------------- -----------------------------