Al-Assad attends King Hussein's funeral, meets with several heads of state

Syrian President Hafez al-Assad last night returned home after a visit to Amman, where he took part in the funeral of King Hussein Bin Talal and offered condolences to King Abdullah Bin Hussein of Jordan and to the Jordanian royal family and high-ranking officials.

Syrian Vice President Abdul Halim Khaddam and Foreign Minister Farouk al-Sharaa accompanied the President on his return home. Earlier, President al-Assad spent a busy day in Amman during which he met with a number of heads of state and representatives of Arab and foreign governments.

Besides his meeting with King Abdullah and Jordanian Prime Minister Fayez Tarawneh, the President received at Raghdan Palace Saudi Crown Prince Abdullah Bin Abdul Aziz and discussed with him the latest developments in the region and steps towards Arab cooperation.

President al-Assad also discussed with President Liamine Zeroual of Algeria the situation in Algeria, the Arab Maghreb and the latest developments in the region. President al-Assad also received Sudanese President Omar Hassan al-Bashir and discussed with him the situation in the African Horn and developments in Sudan and the Arab region.

Earlier, US President Bill Clinton approached President al-Assad at Raghdan Palace, greeted him and exchanged with him views on the region. During the meeting, a wish was expressed to reactivate contacts between the two sides.

Present at a part of the meeting were Khaddam, al-Sharaa, US State Department officials Martin Indyk and Dennis Ross. Former US Presidents Jimmy Carter and George Bush also approached the President to greet him, SANA reported. Among other leaders who approached the President to greet him were General Abdul Salam Abu Baker of Nigeria, UN Secretary General Kofi Annan, Arab League Secretary General Esmat Abdul Meguid, Lebanese Deputy Premier and Minister of the Interior Michel Murr and Tunisian Foreign Minister Saeed Bin Mustafa.