"I want Saudi's involvement in the stabilization of Iraq. I want Saudi's involvement in the stabilization of Lebanon, through resources and political support," Rice told reporters Monday as she flew to Saudi Arabia, her first leg of a regional tour.

The goal of the U.S. Secretary's trip is to push ahead the U.S. democratization agenda and discuss threats to stability in the region such as Iran, Hamas and Hizbullah, Rice's spokesman has said. But the Gulf Cooperation Council ministers' priority -- officials and media reports in the region say -- is re-launching peace talks.

Rice said prior to her meeting with Saudi King Abdullah and Foreign Minister Saud al-Faisal that the Saudis have demonstrated their desire to help.

"For instance, Abu Mazen and I think we can talk about how we might do more to help Abu Mazen, and particularly to help Lebanon," Rice said. "The Saudis I think contributed $1.5 billion to help Lebanon. They've been very involved in countering the behavior of the Syrians, for instance."

During their meeting in Cairo Tuesday with Rice, the ministers of the six-nation GCC, Egypt and Jordan are expected to coordinate efforts to buttress the stature of the moderate Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas and stem Iran's growing influence.

The trip comes as Arab countries have in recent weeks halted dealings with the Palestinian militant group Hamas. They want it to join a unity government that supports a 2002 Arab League plan that would offer peace to Israel in exchange for land and they've even started funneling aid through Abbas, Arab diplomats say.

On the Israeli-Hizbullah war in Lebanon, Rice said she believed that what has happened in Lebanon "I think we got in very stark relief a clear indication that there are extremist forces and moderate forces."

"The people -- the countries that we're meeting with particularly in the GCC + 2 (Egypt and Jordan) is a group that you would expect to support the emerging moderate forces in Lebanon, in Iraq and in the Palestinian territories," Rice added.

She said she was looking forward to consulting with them on how to strengthen these forces and what needs to be done.

In response to a question about the new initiative of this tour, Rice said she believed the effort by GCC, Jordan and Egypt "is new and it gives us an opportunity in a new configuration to work with the moderate states and the moderate voices in the region both to support these new moderate forces" like Fouad Saniora's government, the presidency of Mahmoud Abbas and the government of Iraq.

"And that configuration I think can be quite powerful in resisting extremist forces as well," Rice added.

On how powerful she can manage to bring off a change in policy to stabilize Lebanon when the U.S. continues to avoid Damascus, Rice said that it took 30 years to get the Syrians out of Lebanon "and the notion that somehow they can be a stabilizing force in Lebanon, I just don't see."

"If they wish to be a stabilizing force, they can certainly do it. They know what to do," she added. "They know to stop transshipment of weapons from perhaps Iran to Hizbullah. They know to cooperate fully with the Hariri assassination investigation. They know to stop intimidation campaigns against others, other Lebanese leaders."

Rice said she does not think the Syrians have to be told what they can do to help Lebanon be more stable.

Rice will also visit Israel and the Palestinian territories as part of the trip.(Naharnet-AP)