US President George W Bush has hailed Bahrain's role in the Middle East region and said it is one of the greatest friends of the US.

He was speaking after a meeting with His Majesty King Hamad at the White House.

Bush praised the wise leadership of His Majesty and congratulated him for Bahrain's command of the Combined Task Force 152 that works on preserving peace.

Earlier, Foreign Minister Shaikh Khalid bin Ahmed Al Khalifa and US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice signed a Bahrain-US Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on nuclear co-operation.

The MoU aims at ensuring stability and diversification of nuclear resources to help develop various industrial sectors.

It stresses the peaceful use of the resources within the framework of the International Atomic Energy Agency.

The Foreign Minister described the MoU as highly significant.

It was signed following His Majesty King Hamad's meeting with Rice.-TradeArabia News Service