Putin Arrives in Jordan for Talks with King

Russian President Vladimir Putin was to hold talks Tuesday with Jordan's King Abdullah II as part of a Middle East tour aimed at boosting Moscow regional role.

Putin, who arrived in Jordan from the occupied West bank, will meet with the king on the shores of Dead Sea in the Jordan Valley, officials said.

During his one-day visit, Putin is also set to open a guesthouse for Christian pilgrims in Jordan.

Talks between Putin and the king are expected to focus on Middle East peace efforts as well as the unrest in Syria.

In the West Bank, Putin met with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas during a stop in Bethlehem on a brief trip, a day after a stop in Israel where he met Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Shimon Peres.