Jordan's king flies to Saudi Arabia for peace moving talks

Sep 1, 2007, 12:42 GMT

Amman - Jordan's King Abdullah II left for Jeddah Saturday for consultations with Saudi leaders ahead of the international conference on the Middle East proposed by US President George W Bush.

The monarch was due to have talks with King Abdullah on 'latest Middle East developments and the situation in Iraq', according to a royal court statement.

In an interview with the state-run Jordan television Friday night, the Jordanian leader considered Bush's conference proposal a 'positive step'.

'We hope the conference will represent a big opportunity for finding a solution to the Palestinian question, which is the core of the Middle East conflict, in accordance with the international legitimacy resolutions and the Arab peace initiative,' he added.

The Arab peace plan, which was originally proposed by King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia, envisages extending recognition to Israel by all Arab states after the Jewish state pulls out from all Arab territories it occupied in the 1967 war, including East Jerusalem.

King Abdullah's trip to Saudi Arabia precedes his visit to France on Sunday for talks with President Nicolas Sarkozy and Prime Minister Francois Fillon, which the royal court said would have the aim of urging France and the European Union at large to help bring the Palestinians and Israelis back to the negotiating table.