Jordan's King Abdullah II arrived in Syria Sunday on an unannounced trip, his first to the Syrian capital in nearly four years, Syria's official news agency reported.
Jordan's chief government spokesman Nasser Judeh confirmed Sunday that King Abdullah II would be traveling to Damascus to meet President Bashar Assad, describing the visit as "important." The reason for the surprise visit was not immediately clear. Ties between the two neighbors have deteriorated in recent years over a host of political issues.
The visit comes few days before Arab foreign ministers are to meet in Cairo, Egypt, where they are expected to come up with a unified stand on a US-sponsored peace conference scheduled for later this month. "The visit comes within the efforts exerted by His Majesty to support the unity of Arab rank which requires coordinating stands at high levels among Arab leader," a well-informed source of the Royal Court was quoted as saying by Petra news agency. © 2007 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
