Sharm el Sheik, Egypt ? Visiting U.S. Cabinet officers, hearing blunt concerns from nervous Arab leaders Tuesday, assured them the U.S. will not abruptly withdraw troops from Iraq and trigger chaos that could spread across the Gulf region.

Even as an increasingly impatient Congress presses for troops to come home, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Defense Secretary Robert Gates said they told Gulf leaders that President Bush will take the region’s stability into account as he plans long-term strategy for Iraq.

“There clearly is concern on the part of the Egyptians, and I think it probably represents concern elsewhere in the region, that the United States will somehow withdraw precipitously from Iraq, or in some way that is destabilizing to the entire region,” Gates said after he and Rice wrapped up meetings with Egypt’s top leaders.

Gates, in fact, seemed to open the door a bit wider toward a more gradual pullout – something commanders in Iraq have been angling for of late – saying he is sensing greater openness on Capitol Hill to a more careful, deliberate withdrawal.

Rice said they told the allies that Bush’s Iraq policies “have at their core an understanding of the fundamental importance of a stable Iraq to the stability of this region.” Those concerns, she said, will be a priority for Bush as he awaits the upcoming report from commanders and officials in Iraq, due in September.

During a joint news conference at this luxurious Red Sea resort, the two Cabinet secretaries also said their double-barreled show of diplomatic and military support for friendly Arab allies this week is not a shot across Iran’s bow.

“We are out here to talk about the long term,” Gates said as he and Rice began two days of meetings among Persian Gulf allies and Egypt.