French President Nicholas Sarkozy arrived at Jordan's Red Sea resort of Aqaba Friday on a visit that was due to last for several days, officials said, according to dpa. Sarkozy was expected to have talks with Jordan's King Abdullah II on latest developments in the region, particularly how to achieve tangible progress in the negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians that were launched at the US-sponsored Annapolis conference on November 27, they added. Aqaba was the site of hectic talks over the past 48 hours, with Abdullah holding separate talks with the Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and the Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. Earlier Friday, the monarch was involved in a telephone conversation with US President George W Bush to discuss "efforts under way to push forward the peace process" in the region, the Jordanian royal court said. Bush is scheduled to arrive in the region next week to try to help overcome hurdles impeding the Palestinian-Israeli peace talks, including Israel's expansion of a settlement in East Jerusalem that was deemed by Palestinians as detrimental to a peace agreement.
