Jordan's King Abdullah II on Sunday said the Arab summit next month in Damascus needs "careful planning" as he received an invitation to attend the meeting, the palace said. "Careful planning is needed for the summit in order to create consensus and come up with a unified Arab position at this critical stage with major challenges facing the Arab nation," he told Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Muallem, according to AFP.

Muallem handed the invitation from President Bashar al-Assad to the Jordanian monarch, the palace said. "Obstacles facing the implementation of an Arab League plan to end the Lebanese crisis should be removed," the king said.

© 2008 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)