His Majesty King Abdullah on Wednesday received an invitation from Sudanese President Omar Bashir to take part in the 18th Arab summit scheduled to take place in Khartoum next month.

Bashir's adviser Mustafa Ismail, who is also the Arab League envoy to Iraq, delivered the invitation to the King.

King Abdullah stressed the need to exert all efforts possible to render the Khartoum summit a success, especially under the current difficult conditions the Arab nation is facing in Iraq and Palestine.

He said Jordan would do its utmost to ensure the success of the meeting, highlighting the need for Arab leaders to attend the summit and effectively contribute to it.

The King said the summit is expected to come up with resolutions that would enhance joint Arab action and meet the aspirations of Arab people.

Ismail, who stressed the importance of the King's participation at the summit, briefed His Majesty on developments in Iraq.

He said the Arab League is preparing for a conference in June that will bring together prominent Iraqi leaders. The gathering, he said, will take place at the premises of the Iraqi parliament in Baghdad.

King Abdullah commended the plan and stressed the importance of safeguarding Iraq's national unity and ending the cycle of violence in the country.

The spiralling violence in Iraq, he said, should drive all parties to work on uniting the Iraqi people on the basis of understanding and common good.

The Jordan Times