Lebanese president confers with Jordanian king

Lebanese President Emile Lahoud has underlined the importance of King Abdullah's visit to Lebanon, saying that this visit is an expression of the friendship and cooperation relations serving interests of "both the brotherly people of the two countries."

In a statement following his meeting with the Jordanian king on Monday, the Lebanese president added that this visit falls in the course of consolidating bilateral ties and safeguarding the "supreme interests of the Arab nation."

Later in the day, Lebanese Prime Minister Salim al-Hoss met with the Jordanian king, and discussions dealt with bilateral relations, developments in the Middle East peace process and the outcome of talks conducted in Beirut with US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright during her recent tour of the region.

The Lebanese premier reiterated the unity of the Syrian - Lebanese peace tracks and the importance of resuming negotiations from the point at which they broke off, as well as Israeli forces' withdrawal from south Lebanon and the western Bekaa. Al-Hoss described his talks with King Abdullah as "very good."