Last update - 00:00 20/01/2007
Pakistani President begins 4-day tour of Middle East
By News Agencies
Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf on Saturday began a four-day visit to five Arab countries.
The president departed to Saudi Arabia where he was due to hold talks with King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz on the situation in the Palestinian territories, Lebanon, Iraq and other regional issues.
Pakistan's Foreign Ministry said in an official statement that Musharraf would discuss the "deteriorating situation in the Middle East."
Musharraf is also slated to meet with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, King Abdullah II of Jordan and Syrian President Bashar Assad, as well as President Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan of the United Arab Emirates.
On Friday, Musharraf called Iranian President, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to inform him about his Middle East visit and discuss the ongoing Middle East crisis and raised the need to push for a just settlement of the impasse over Palestinian issues, Pakistan's Foreign Ministry said Saturday.
According to the ministry's statement, Musharraf "shared his deep concern with the Iranian president over the deteriorating situation in the Middle East, in particular Palestine, and the need for fresh efforts to push for a just settlement of the Palestinian issue."
Ahmadinejad welcomed Musharraf's initiative and supported his efforts, it said.