His Majesty King Abdullah II arrived Monday in South Africa for a several-day visit in which he will meet with South African President Thabo Mbeki and discuss means to enhance bilateral relations and strengthen Arab-African cooperation.



During his stay in Pretoria, King Abdullah will also meet with former South African President Nelson Mandela.



His Majesty is accompanied by Their Royal Highnesses Prince Ali, Prince Hamzah and Prince Hashem, Chief of the Royal Hashemite Court Faisal Al-Fayez and Foreign Minister Farouk Qasrawi.



King Abdullah and the accompanying delegation were received by Jordanian Ambassador to Pretoria Dr. Mazen Al-Tal and members of the Jordanian embassy.



Earlier yesterday, the King concluded a several-hour visit to Tanzania, where he met with President Benjamin Mkapa in Dar Es Salaam to explore ways of bolstering trade, economic and cultural ties.



King Abdullah also expressed Jordan's interest in exchanging educational and agricultural expertise.



During the meetings, the two leaders stressed the importance of encouraging the private sector in both countries and establishing joint investment projects.



His Majesty also pointed to the similar challenges facing African and Arab countries, stressing that there must be enhanced cooperation between the nations.



The King also referred to the different free trade agreements between Jordan and Arab and European countries as well as the United States and a number of Asian countries. His Majesty expressed Jordan's interest in further deepening its integration with the global economy by developing similar agreements with African nations.



His Majesty and President Mkapa also dicussed the prevailing situations in the Middle East and Africa.