The new kings of Morocco and Jordan and the new president of Syria dined together Friday, chatting as friends and discussing preparations for their first Arab summit, a senior Jordanian official said.
Kings Abdullah II of Jordan, 38, Mohammed VI of Morocco, 37, and Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, 34, they all succeeded their fathers upon their deaths within the last 18 months.
The last Arab summit was held in 1996.
"The dinner was cordial and informal," the Jordanian official said Saturday.
"It was a meeting of friends, of leaders of the same generation exchanging their ideas on the eve of a summit which is being held at a crucial time for the Arab world," the official said on condition he not be named.
Arab leaders begin a two-day emergency summit here Saturday aimed at making Israel pay a diplomatic price for its deadly crackdown on the Palestinians.
By reversing steps toward normalization with Israel, the Arabs hope to send a message that the Jewish state will only win their acceptance by negotiating a "real peace" rather than by imposing one by force.
But Israel has put the onus on the Palestinian leadership to end the violence, just as it had at the US-led international summit at Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, on Tuesday – CAIRO (AFP)
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