King Abdullah, Medvedev to discuss Mideast
Posted: 11 March 2010 1314 hrs

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MOSCOW: Jordan's King Abdullah II will discuss arms contracts and the Middle East peace process with Russia's President Dmitry Medvedev Thursday, news agencies reported.

"The situation in the Middle East will become one of the key issues to be discussed in the Kremlin," Medvedev's press service said ahead of the talks with Abdullah, who arrived in Moscow Wednesday.

"The two sides will consider the situation as the Palestinian and Israeli leaders agreed on indirect talks and the League of Arab States decided to support this kind of contacts for four months," the press service said.

Those talks looked increasingly in jeopardy Thursday, amid mounting anger in the Arab world over Israeli plans to build more settler homes in the occupied territories.

Jordan "shows interest in buying Russia's air defence systems of all ranges, anti-tank missile complexes, armored vehicles, Ka-52 helicopters and guns," the source said.

Jordan would also like Russia to upgrade the Soviet-made military hardware it owns, the source added.

Abdullah, who has visited Russia nine times over the last seven years, on Wednesday held talks with Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, praising Russia's role in the Middle East.

Russian foreign ministry spokesman Andrei Nesterenko said recently that new cooperation possibilities between Russia and Jordan had emerged, in areas including nuclear energy.

- AFP/sc