Jordan King to Visit Ramallah Thursday

Jordan's King Abdullah II arrives in Ramallah on Thursday on his first visit since the Palestinians won U.N. recognition as a non-member state, a senior official told Agence France Presse on Tuesday.

"King Abdullah will visit the state of Palestine the day after tomorrow, on Thursday, in the first visit by a top official to the Palestinian state after we received U.N. recognition," said Nimr Hammad, political adviser to Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas.

"The visit will confirm Jordanian efforts and support for the Palestinian people and their leadership," Hammad added.

Earlier, a senior Jordanian government official confirmed that the monarch was planning a trip to the West Bank, without specifying the date.

"The king will go to Ramallah soon and meet with Abbas there," a senior government official told AFP on condition of anonymity.

"The visit seeks to reiterate Jordan's support for the Palestinians, build on their historic achievement at the United Nations and help them establish an independent state."

The United Nations General Assembly on Thursday granted the Palestinians non-member state observer status in a 138-9 vote.

The king, who visited the Palestinian territories last year, met Abbas in Amman on Sunday and described the U.N. vote "as a major step."

Jordan signed a peace treaty with Israel in 1994.