Cheney visits anti-terrorism allies

WASHINGTON – Vice President Dick Cheney is trying to strengthen America’s alliance with countries on the front lines in the fight against terrorism during visits to Afghanistan, Pakistan, Egypt and Saudi Arabia.

Cheney departed Saturday on a five-day trip intended to highlight the Bush administration’s successes in fighting terrorism and to improve the United States’ image abroad. His plane stopped for refueling at a military base in Mildenhall, England.

The vice president planned to attend the opening session on Monday of Afghanistan’s parliament, review U.S. efforts to help earthquake victims in Pakistan and meet with Egyptian and Saudi leaders.

Cheney’s trip follows successful parliamentary elections in Iraq on Thursday. Cheney’s appearance at the opening day of the Afghan parliament is designed to call attention to the transition to democracy there, too – developments made possible by Bush foreign policy.

Even though the governments of all four countries on Cheney’s itinerary are U.S. allies, anti-American sentiment is high among their people. Steven Cook, a Mideast expert at the Council on Foreign Relations in Washington, said Cheney’s visit could spread some good will.

“The vice president, however people view him, is clearly influential and clearly speaks for the president and that’s meaningful,” Cook said.

Cheney has long relationships in the region, dating to his time as defense secretary under the first President Bush. Cheney previously has visited all four countries on the schedule.

Planning for the trip was guarded because of security concerns. The White House refused to tell even the journalists on board the vice president’s plan details of the stops they were making.

Cheney and his entourage planned to stay each night in Oman, shuttling to other stops each day aboard Air Force Two.

Just last Monday, the president acknowledged that the United States has an “image issue” in the Muslim world. Bush said the U.S. had a chance to repair that image in its response to natural disasters such as the Indian Ocean tsunami and the earthquake that hit northern Pakistan and Indian Kashmir, killing about 87,000 people.

Cheney planned to help draw attention to the aid that American forces are providing in Pakistan by visiting a U.S. MASH unit.