Obama in Jordan on Last Leg of Mideast Tour

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 U.S. 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 for talks with King Abdullah II, a key U.S. ally, on the agony of Syria's conflict in Jordan, which is hosting more than 450,000 refugees from the war-torn country.

At a welcoming ceremony in the courtyard of the royal palace, the two leaders stood on a roofed stage as an army band played the two national anthems.

Around the courtyard were soldiers standing in formation and guardsmen in elaborately decorated horses, and several perched on top of camels.

King Abdullah and Obama inspected guardsmen carrying swords and wearing red and white keffiyehs.

They returned to the dias placed in front of castle like ramparts and the troops marched past, to a rousing Scottish reel played by the bagpipe band, before retreating into a large, plushly decorated meeting room.

In their talks, Obama is also expected to support political reform efforts inside Jordan, which has been an oasis of relative calm in a region swept by turmoil following the Arab Spring.