King Abdullah welcomes Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on his arrival at the Royal Palace in Riyadh (R)
Riyadh, Asharq Al-Awsat (Agencies) – Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz met with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas in Riyadh yesterday to discuss the stalled Middle East peace process ahead of US President George W. Bush’s trip to the region next week.
The two leaders met to “examined the latest developments concerning the Palestinian question and the peace process in the aftermath of the Annapolis conference,” the Saudi press agency reported.
The Saudi monarch and Abbas also discussed international efforts aimed at securing Middle East peace “that would ensure the Palestinian people the right to an independent state with Jerusalem as its capital,” the SPA said.
in other news,
Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and President Abbas are considering meeting ahead of a visit by President George W. Bush, an Israeli government official said today.
Olmert and Abbas had not been expected to meet before Bush’s visit to Israel and the occupied West Bank later this week.
“We are examining the possibility of holding a meeting between Olmert and Abbas before the arrival of President Bush later this week,” said the Israeli official, speaking on condition of anonymity. Olmert and Abbas last met in Jerusalem on December 27.
King Abdullah meets with Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas (AFP)
Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal welcomes Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on his arrival in Riyadh (SPA)