Jordan Times
Monday, October 8, 2001
King to visit Germany, Italy
By Francesca Sawalha
AMMAN — His Majesty King Abdullah will travel to Germany and Italy this week for talks with European leaders on ways to resuscitate Mideast peace talks and international efforts to fight terrorism, officials said on Sunday.King Abdullah was expected to make a brief visit to Rome for talks with President Carlo Azeglio Ciampi and Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi on Friday, one day after talks in Berlin with Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder.
It would be the King's first official trip to Europe since last month's terror attacks in the US, and his second visit to Germany this year.
Jordan was the first Arab country to declare its support to international efforts to fight terrorism, and King Abdullah was the first Arab leader to hold talks with President George W. Bush at the White House since the atrocities of Sept. 11.
The Italian prime minister drew a storm of protests against himself for a statement earlier this month alluding to “Western superiority” over Islamic civilisation. Berlusconi later apologised for having offended “Arab friends.”
“His Majesty will highlight the urgency of instilling into the psyche of [the Israeli leadership] that enough is enough, and that political negotiations must resume as soon as possible,” a senior official said on Sunday. `'In this regard, what the Europeans can do is crucial.''
Before flying to Rome on Oct. 12, the King is scheduled to open in Frankfurt the first Jordanian-German e-business forum.
The Jordanian delegation to the Frankfurt forum will include some 30 information technology entrepreneurs and will be led by Post and Communications Minister Fawwaz Zu'bi. The King's last visit to Germany was in May.