President Barack Obama arrived in Jordan on Friday to face scrutiny over his Syria strategy, on the last leg of a Middle East tour after visits to Israel and the Palestinian territories. The US presidential aircraft landed in Queen Alia Airport near Amman at 1445 GMT, and he was welcomed by Foreign Minister Nasser Judeh and other top officials. Obama headed immediately to the royal palace in west Amman for talks with King Abdullah II, a key US ally, on the agony of Syria's conflict in Jordan, which is hosting more than 450,000 refugees from the war-torn country.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Jordan's King Abdullah II met in Jordan last week and discussed the Middle East peace process, a diplomatic source told AFP on Saturday. "Last week, Netanyahu travelled to Jordan and met King Abdullah II," the source said, speaking on condition of anonymity. "In the meeting, they discussed the Middle East peace process." jjm/srm