King Abdullah, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, arrived in the Moroccan city of Casablanca Saturday at the start of a four-nation tour that will also take him to Canada, the United States and France. The King will participate in the G-20 summit in Toronto on June 26-27. Then he will arrive in the US on a state visit, followed by visits to Morocco and France. At Mohammad V Airport here, King Abdullah was received by Prince Rashid Bin Al-Hasan II, Prince Saud Al-Faisal, the Saudi Foreign Minister, Prince Fahd Bin Miqrin Bin Abdul Aziz, and Saudi Ambassador to Morocco Dr. Muhammad Bin Abdulrahman Al-Bishr. Before his departure from Jeddah, King Abdullah issued a Royal Order deputizing Crown Prince Sultan, Deputy Premier, Defense and Aviation Minister and Inspector General, to run the country's affairs and to look after the interests of the people during his absence. The King said: “As I intend to travel outside the Kingdom Saturday, I deputized Crown Prince Sultan Bin Abdul Aziz to administer the State's affairs and to take care of the people's interests during the period of my absence.” Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper made a phone call to the King Friday to discuss the Toronto G20 Summit. Harper outlined the areas of priority discussion at the Summit, which include the need for G20 countries to follow through with stimulus; the need for the advanced economies to take credible action on fiscal consolidation; the need to make real progress on the reform of the financial sector; and the need for the emerging economies to take steps to stimulate demand in their own markets. King Abdullah thanked the prime minister for his call. In the US, King Abdullah will meet President Barack Obama, and on July 12 he will travel to France to meet President Nicolas Sarkozy. Their talks are expected to focus on the situation in the Middle East and global economic issues as well as the enhancement of bilateral relations. The King is expected to visit the Saudi exhibits wing at the Louvre Museum on July 12 and is expected to deliver a speech at UNESCO headquarters in Paris. An invitation to visit and address the UN organization was extended to the King by UNESCO Director General Irina Bokova during her visit to the Kingdom when she attended the Janadriya Festival last March.
