Jordanian King Abdullah II arrived in Kuwait on Monday for a brief visit, airport sources said, after calling for stepped up Arab and international efforts to avoid a United States strike against Iraq.
A Jordanian palace official said the king, who is accompanied by Royal Cabinet chief Fayez Tarawneh and Foreign Minister Marwan Moasher, would spend a few hours in Kuwait for talks with ruler Sheikh Jaber al-Ahmad al-Sabah.
In statements published Sunday by the official Petra news agency, the monarch said the visit would focus on "reinforcing bilateral relations" with Kuwait as well as developments in the region, according to AFP.
He called for an "intensification" of Arab and international efforts to avoid a US military operation against Baghdad and the consequences a war would have on the entire region. "We hope that Arab and international efforts as well as Iraq's approval of the unconditional return of international (weapons) inspectors will help prevent a military strike on Iraq, and a fallout on the region," the Monarch said.
"The situation is very serious and needs an intensification of efforts to dissipate the specter of war," the king said.
Abdullah also said that a "dialogue between Iraq and the United Nations is the only means of solving pending problems" between the two parties and expressed hope that "Iraq will purely and simply (implement) Security Council resolutions." (Albawaba.com)
© 2002 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
