Vice President Dick Cheney is in London ahead of a Mideast tour to discuss escalating Israeli-Palestinian violence and the U.S. led war on terrorism. 

Mr. Cheney will confer Monday with British Prime Minister Tony Blair, amid speculation Iraq could be the next target in the war against terrorism. Britain is a close U.S. ally in the battle against terrorism -- and British and U.S. warplanes based in Turkey help patrol no-fly zones over Iraq. 

From Britain, Mr. Cheney heads to Turkey, Israel and nine Arab countries, including Saudi Arabia, which has proposed a way to end Israeli-Palestinian violence. 

Saudi Arabia has proposed that the Arab world make complete peace with Israel in exchange for its withdrawal from Arab land captured in the 1967 Mideast War. 

Few other details of the Cheney trip have been released because of security concerns. The trip was planned long before violence in the Mideast spiraled to new heights this past week, but the escalating fighting has given new urgency to the visit. 

This week, U.S. Mideast peace envoy Anthony Zinni also returns to the region. He is trying to persuade Israel and the Palestinians to implement an immediate ceasefire. 

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