RIYADH, 28 January — Jordan’s King Abdallah held talks here yesterday with Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Fahd and Crown Prince Abdullah, deputy premier and commander of the National Guard, on Middle East peace ahead of a planned trip to Washington.
The Saudi Press Agency said King Abdallah discussed with the Saudi leaders the "deteriorating situation in Palestine and the suffering of the Palestinian people under Israeli atrocities." The talks also focused on strengthening bilateral cooperation.
The crown prince, who held a separate meeting with King Abdallah, was quoted as saying the Saudi government was trying to end Israel’s confinement of Palestinian President Yasser Arafat, who has been besieged by Israeli tanks at his West Bank headquarters since December. "We are trying our best and hope that God will make our efforts successful," Prince Abdullah told a Riyadh gathering on Saturday.
Officials in the Saudi capital said the Jordanian king’s visit was part of "routine consultations." King Abdallah is scheduled to meet US President George W. Bush in Washington later this week, where he would "explain the danger of talking about suspending the peace process or contacts with the Palestinian Authority," Jordanian Foreign Minister Marwan Al-Muasher said.
The Bush administration has taken an increasingly tough line against Arafat in recent days. Washington has just suspended a cease-fire mission to the Middle East by its envoy Anthony Zinni.
Before leaving for Riyadh, King Abdallah held an urgent meeting in Amman with Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Maher on the escalating violence in the Palestinian territories, sources at Jordan’s royal palace said.
