Palestinian President Yasser Arafat arrived in Abu Dhabi on Monday from Jeddah, as part of a regional tour for talks on developments in the occupied Palestinian territories, reported the official Emirati news agency, WAM.
He will hold talks with UAE President Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan on the dangerous situation in the Palestinian territories in the wake of "all-out aggression launched against the Palestinian people by the Israeli government," said the agency. International efforts to provide protection to Palestinian civilians will figure high in talks between the two leaders.
While he was in Jeddah, Arafat met Saudi Crown Prince Abdullah bin Abdelaziz, and won backing from the Saudis for an emergency Arab summit on the Middle East crisis, said the Saudi Press Agency (SPA).
An Arab diplomatic source posted in Saudi Arabia said the Palestinians were proposing a mini-summit "on the explosive situation in the Palestinian territories and the Israeli escalation against the Palestinian people."
Arafat praised Saudi support for the Palestinians and "the refusal of Crown Prince Abdullah bin Abdelaziz to visit the United States in protest at the US alignment with Israel," said Mustafa Dib, who took part in the talks.
The Palestinian leader arrived in Saudi Arabia from the Jordanian capital with International Cooperation Minister Nabil Shaath and chief peace negotiator Saeb Erakat in his delegation.
In Amman, King Abdullah and Arafat stressed the need for international observers to be sent to the Palestinian territories – Albawaba.com
