RAMALLAH, West Bank - Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas is to make a whistlestop regional tour to rally Arab support ahead of a peace conference expected later this year, a spokesman for his office said Saturday.
On Sunday "Abbas will meet King Abdullah II of Jordan before heading to Cairo to meet Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak," Nabil Abu Rudeina told AFP.
The trip is aimed at thrashing out a common Arab position ahead of the conference in Annapolis, Maryland later this year, he added.
While in Cairo, Abbas is also scheduled to meet EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana on Sunday evening.
Solana will then meet Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, Foreign Minister Ahmed Abul Gheit and Arab League chief Amr Mussa on Monday, his office said.
Solana then heads to the Palestinian territories for talks with Prime Minister Salam Fayyad and other officials on Tuesday before continuing to Jerusalem on Wednesday for a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert.
The US-sponsored peace conference is intended to end the seven-year hiatus in negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians.
But Arab states have reacted coolly to the plans saying that the conference must address the core issues of the conflict if it is not to be a waste of time.
11/10/2007 16:53 GMT