Their Majesties King Abdullah II and Queen Rania returned home on Saturday following a three-day state visit to Germany. During the visit, King Abdullah held talks with German President Johannes Rau and German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder on bilateral relations, Middle East peace efforts and on the Iraqi crisis with the UN.

The King also met German Minister for International Cooperation and other business leaders representing both the private and public sectors for talks on economic and investment cooperation between Jordan and Germany.

German Ambassador to Amman Marten Schneller said King Abdullah's visit was fruitful and would yield tangible results in the coming few months. Some economic issues, the King discussed in Germany need to be followed up, Schneller said in a statement to Petra.

During their meeting with King Abdullah, in Berlin, German investors and businessmen were very much interested in knowing more about some vital sectors in Jordan such as energy, water, tourism and environment. They described steps taken by Jordan to improve economic performance as "wise" and that Jordan's export rate to the European market would increase as the Euro-Jordanian Association Agreement has already come into effect.

The King's talks with German business leaders such as officials from world-famous Siemens company and the German City of Science, Technology and Media, focused on ways to strengthen cooperation in areas of investment, scientific research and industrial technology so that the private sector in Jordan can benefit advanced technology in Germany.

Siemen's Chief Executive will make an exploration visit to Jordan early next year upon an invitation by His Majesty King Abdullah for talks with officials from water, energy, IT sectors.

The King's visit has accelerated the convening of the joint Jordanian-German committee for economic cooperation to be in next December in stead of April. The committee will identify development projects in Jordan to be swapped with German debts. The projects centered on education, water and vocational training.

The German officials highly appreciated Jordan's role under the leadership of His Majesty King Abdullah to promote peace and stability in the Middle East region. They stressed that economic development can never be achieved in the absence of peace and stability. President Rau said Jordan was playing an influential role in peace making in the region.

Prime Minster of Brandenburg State said King Abdullah is the "appropriate partner to Germany because he is playing a pivotal role to end conflict in the region."

In the course of the visit, Queen Rania accompanied by Mrs. Rau toured a number of youth and social facilities including Berlin Charitable Hospital, one of the biggest in Europe that provide a unique medication program for children. The program helps the children to keep in touch with families and relatives in and outside Germany through internet connectivity.