His Majesty King Abdullah was on Wednesday at Marka Airport in eastern Amman to welcome the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques on the first such visit by a Saudi King in almost 20 years.
Saudi King Abdullah was cheerfully welcomed by thousands of Jordanians who lined up the streets of Amman to express joy at the two-day visit.
Shortly after the arrival, the two leaders held talks at the Royal Court on bilateral ties and regional issues.
The two leaders also stressed their keenness to activate coordination and consultation as well as enhance Arab unity and solidarity to help the nation stand up to challenges facing it.
They renewed their commitment to the 2002 Arab Peace Initiative, which expresses the genuine will of the Arabs to reach a permanent peace to end the conflict with Israel and enable the Palestinians to establish their independent state in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.
Warning of the “serious repercussions” of the developments in the Palestinian territories, the two leaders stressed that rift between Palestinians does not serve their national interests, mainly ending Israeli occupation and establishing an independent state.
Palestinian infighting, they said, provides Israel with a pretext to evade its peace commitments.
King Abdullah and the Saudi Monarch reiterated their continued support for the Palestinian legitimacy represented by the Palestinian Authority and President Mahmoud Abbas.
They voiced their concern over the deteriorating humanitarian situation and the shrinking role of the service institutions in the Palestinian territories, particularly the Gaza Strip.
They underlined the need to end the suffering of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip and improve their living conditions.
The two leaders also discussed means to activate coordination between Arab countries and the Quartet of Middle East peace mediators to launch serious political negotiations between the Palestinians and Israelis with clear objectives and a timeframe.
On the situations in Iraq and Lebanon, Jordan and Saudi Arabia said they backed all efforts to restore security and stability in the two countries and preserve their unity and sovereignty.
They agreed that dialogue is the ideal means to reach national consensus in the two countries, rejecting any interference in the internal affairs of Iraq and Lebanon.
Talks between the two leaders also focused on mechanisms to cement Jordanian-Saudi cooperation in various fields, where they stressed their keenness to build on the existing relations.
King Abdullah voiced appreciation of Saudi Arabia's support for Jordan's plans to overcome the harsh economic situation caused by rising oil prices.
In 2006, trade volume between the two countries stood at around $1 billion.
The two countries are bound by several economic, trade, investment, health, educational and tourism agreements.
The Saudi leader is accompanied by Foreign Minister Prince Saud Al Faisal, President of General Intelligence Prince Miqrin Ben Abdul Aziz, other royal family members and senior officials.
The Jordan Times