Palestinian president to visit Saudi Arabia this week

Palestinian President Yasser Arafat is to head to Riyadh this week to meet with high-ranking members of the Saudi leadership.

Palestinian sources said Arafat will meet with King Fahd Bin Abdel Aziz to discuss the development of the dangerous escalation in the Iraq crisis with the United Nations, the Palestinian situation in the occupied territories, the US pressure on the Palestinian government to halt demonstrations in support of Iraq.

These sources said the Palestinian president will award the Palestinian Star, Palestine's highest national badge of honor, to prince Salman Bin Abdel Aziz in appreciation of his spiritual, material and political support of the Palestinian people's struggle over three decades.

The peace process has been greatly and adversely affected by the recent developments in the region.