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US Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld
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US Defence Secretary Mr Donald Rumsfeld left Saudi Arabia for Oman today on the second leg of a tour to discuss the US war against terrorism, US diplomats said.
Mr Rumsfeld, who will go on to Egypt later today and hold talks in Uzbekistan, was tight-lipped in public during a 15-hour visit to Riyadh about how America's biggest Gulf ally might help find the perpetrators of last month's attacks in the United States.
Mr Rumsfeld, on his first visit to the Gulf since becoming defence secretary this year, held talks with Defence Minister Prince Sultan in the Saudi capital Riyadh and met Crown Prince Abdullah and King Fahd.
Saudi Arabia has for years allowed US forces to conduct patrols and strikes over Iraq but has been publicly reluctant to say it would allow US forces to stage strikes on Afghanistan from bases in the kingdom.
"As far as whether there is any request from the United States of what kind of support the kingdom will be making, there were no such requests presented from the United States in the first hand and this matter was not a point of discussion between the two sides," Prince Sultan said after the talks.
Mr Rumsfeld said the United States was very aware of the sensitivities of various nations.
"There is not a single coalition, there are any number of countries that are doing things that are public, there are any number of countries that are doing things that are exactly the same privately," Mr Rumsfeld said.
"I can assure you that we are very appreciative of the public support that Saudi Arabia has given to the United States in this effort and for the things they are doing to assist us," he said.