Abdullah to ask Bush to cancel visit

22 April 2008

Jordan-"Jordan's King Abdullah is expected to advise US President George W. Bush to postpone or cancel his upcoming visit to the Middle East," diplomatic sources in Amman told the London-based daily Al-Hayat, Tuesday

According to the report, Abdullah is expected to meet with Bush in Washington before his upcoming visit to the Middle East, and to deliver a message from the moderate Arab states. He will ask the US president to cancel his visit to the region "if there is not an agreement of principles between Israel and the Palestinians on the horizon."

A source from the king's bureau told Al-Hayat that Abdullah's one-day visit to Washington takes place in the framework of Arab countries' efforts to advance the peace process in the area.

The king will ask Bush to confirm, before he arrives in the Middle East, whether or not Israel is ready to sign a peace agreement before the end of the year, to do away with the Gaza blockage, and to cease settlement expansion, the report said