PRINCE SULTAN AIR BASE, Saudi Arabia, April 29 (IslamOnline.net & News Agencies) - Now that Iraqi president Saddam Hussein is out of picture, the United States is to shift its air operations from Saudi Arabia to neighboring Qatar, U.S. Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said Tuesday, April 29.

"By mutual agreement the aircraft that have been involved will be able to leave," Agence France-Presse (AFP) quoted Rumsfeld as telling a joint press conference with Saudi Defence Minister Prince Sultan.

Both ministers put a positive spin on the evacuation, stressing there were no differences despite repeated U.S. reports of stormy ties in the aftermath of the September 11 suicide hijackings, in which 15 Saudis were accused by the U.S. of playing a leading role.

"They will leave with us grateful for the cooperation and support Saudi Arabia has provided," Rumsfeld said.

"Over time we anticipate our forces in the region will be reduced, needless to say that will be done in a manner I hope that will reflect the close cooperation and friendship between our countries."

Sultan said that following the end of aerial monitoring of Iraq under Operation Southern Watch, "there's no need for them to be here."

"This does not mean we have requested them to move. The cooperation between our two countries was going on even before Desert Storm and it will continue even after the end of the war in Iraq," added Prince Sultan.

He said Saudi Arabia, which provided a launch pad for coalition forces during Operation Desert Storm to oust Iraq from Kuwait in 1991, was looking to the United States now for training and technology.

Rumsfeld confirmed what senior U.S. officials announced earlier in the day that the U.S. air force was leaving the desert kingdom where the number of U.S. military personnel doubled to 10,000 for the Iraq conflict.

A state-of-the art combined air command centre (CAOC) switched Monday, April 28, from Prince Sultan airbase south of Riyadh to Al-Udeid air base in Qatar.

"We already have switched the air operations centre from Prince Sultan to Al-Udeid in Qatar," Nichols said Tuesday.

"As of yesterday (Monday) the ATO (Air Tasking Order) is being planned and executed out of Al-Udeid."

The U.S. Air Force has been using the giant Al-Udeid facility south of Doha to run air operations in Afghanistan and the Horn of Africa.

Asked how many aircraft would remain at the base by the end of the summer, Air Force spokesman Major General Ronald Rand replied: "U.S. airplanes zero."