Jordan Times
Sunday, December 5, 2004
King meets Saudi heir
AMMAN (JT) — His Majesty King Abdullah on Saturday returned home after a several-hour visit to Riyadh, where he held talks with Saudi Crown Prince Abdullah on bilateral relations and latest developments in the region.
The two sides stressed their keenness to develop and enhance bilateral cooperation to serve mutual interests in all fields, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.
Their talks, attended by Prime Minister Faisal Fayez, covered the current situation in the region, particularly the Palestinian and Iraqi issues.
King Abdullah and the Saudi heir underlined the significance of pushing the peace process forward at different levels to help achieve stability in the region.
The King stressed the need to find a just and comprehensive solution to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict through their commitment to the implementation of the roadmap peace blueprint, which realises the Palestinian people's aspirations to establish their independent state, according to Petra.
On Iraq, the two leaders reiterated their support for all efforts to restore security and stability in the violence-torn country and preserve its territorial integrity.
Meanwhile, King Abdullah is expected on Monday to meet US President George W. Bush in Washington for talks on Middle East developments and bilateral issues, the White House announced.
“The president looks forward to the opportunity to review regional and bilateral issues with the King, who plays a key role in the search for stability in Iraq and for Middle East peace, and has been a staunch ally in the international fight against terrorism,” White House Press Secretary Scott McClellan said in a statement released Wednesday.
Among the issues that are likely to top the agenda are January's Palestinian election, Israel's planned withdrawal from the Gaza Strip and Iraq, according to the statement.
Last week, King Abdullah told a top Palestinian delegation, led by PLO chief Mahmoud Abbas, that he would discuss with Bush and US officials during his upcoming visit ways to support current Palestinian efforts towards establishing an independent state and restoring regional peace.