VENTURA : Lagomarsino Will Visit Middle East

Rep. Robert J. Lagomarsino (R-Ventura) is scheduled to leave Washington on Sunday with a delegation of about 20 House members for a five-day trip to Saudi Arabia and other countries in the Middle East.

Lagomarsino, a ranking member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, and his colleagues from the House Armed Services Committee will make a brief visit to U.S. troops in Saudi Arabia and meet with leaders in Egypt and Israel.

The congressman said in a statement that the Bush Administration has kept him informed of developments in the Middle East.

But “the very serious situation in the Gulf and its ramifications for the United States warrant an on-the-scene assessment,” he said.

Matt Reynolds, Lagomarsino’s legislative director, said the delegation will meet first with Saudi and U.S. military officials in Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia.

From there, the group is scheduled to survey the troops at Dhahran, the main air base in the region, and at undisclosed locations in the field.

Lagomarsino has asked military officials for a chance to meet with troops from Ventura County in the region, Reynolds said. So far, military officials have not said if this is possible.

Later in the week, Reynolds said, the delegation will fly to Cairo and Tel Aviv before returning to Washington on Nov. 30.

Rep. Robert K. Dornan (R-Garden Grove) is the only other Californian confirmed to be a part of the delegation. It will be the third such congressional delegation to Saudi Arabia since President Bush ordered the massive U.S. buildup of troops in the region.