Jordan's king to visit Saudi Arabia Sunday ahead of US trip

Aug 21, 2010, 20:51 GMT

Amman - Jordanian King Abdullah II is traveling Sunday to Saudi Arabia for consultations with the Saudi leadership ahead of his trip to Washington to attend a six-way meeting on September 1, officials said Saturday.

The Jordanian monarch will have talks with Saudi King Abdullah on the 'latest Middle East developments and issues of mutual interest,' a royal court statement said.

Earlier Saturday, the Jordanian royal court said that King Abdullah II had accepted US President Barack Obama's invitation to attend a meeting in Washington on the eve of the planned September 2 relaunch of direct talks between the Palestinians and Israel.

In addition to Obama and Abdullah, the gathering is scheduled to group Egyptian President Hosny Mubarak, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Middle East quartet representative Tony Blair.

Saudi Arabia is the author of the Arab peace initiative, which the Palestinians and all Arab states consider a major reference for the direct negotiations.

The Arab peace plan offers Israel full recognition by all Arab states after it pulls out from all territories it occupied in the 1967 Middle East war, including East Jerusalem.