Jordan confirmed on Tuesday that Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert will meet King Abdullah II next week at a gathering of Nobel laureates. "A large number of Arab and international figures have been invited by the Elie Wiesel Foundation for Humanity to attend the (May 15-16) gathering," in Jordan's ancient city of Petra, a palace official told AFP.
Olmert's office declared the visit earlier saying the Israeli prime minister "accepted the Jordanian government's invitation" to attend the Petra gathering. "During the meeting the prime minister is expected to meet Jordan's King Abdullah," on May 15, Olmert's office said.
The Jordanian official said that Olmert's invitation to the two-day event was jointly issued by the Wiesel foundation and the King Abdullah II Fund for Development, rather than the Jordanian government.
Nearly 40 Nobel laureates and other prominent figures, including former UN secretary general Kofi Annan and veteran Israeli politician Shimon Peres, both Nobel peace laureates, will attend the event, the official said.
King Abdullah II and Wiesel will jointly open the gathering "and the king will meet all the participants," the official added.
