He was accorded a red-carpet welcome that was led by King Abdallah II, Prime Minister Samir Rifai, members of the ruling family and senior Jordanian officials.

The two leaders discussed the latest Middle East developments at the Basman Palace. King Abdallah also hosted a dinner in honor of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques.

Arab foreign ministers, who met in Cairo on Thursday as a follow-up Arab committee on the Middle East peace process, recommended such a transition to direct negotiations, but left to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas the option to take such a decision at the appropriate time.

Also high on the agenda were the showdown between Western powers and Tehran over the Iranian nuclear file and the deadlock over the formation of a new Iraqi government, Arab diplomats said.

Jordanian officials and media have given prominence to the visit, focusing on the close and special ties that exist between the two countries in various spheres.

They singled out the leading role played by Saudi Arabia in both regional and world affairs, including handling of the Arab-Israeli conflict through the Arab peace initiative which was authored by King Abdullah in 2002.

The Saudi leader flew in from Beirut, where he accompanied Syrian President Bashar Assad from Damascus to a tripartite summit with Lebanese President Michel Suleiman.