AMMAN, Oct. 14 (Xinhuanet) -- Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas arrived here Friday to start his visits to Jordan, Egypt, France, Spain and the United States.

    As the first leg of the foreign visits, Abbas and Jordan's King Abdullah II will meet and hold talks on the situation in the Palestinian territories on Saturday, said Ata Kheiry, head of the Palestinian mission in Amman.

    Palestinian official sources said earlier that during his foreign  visits, Abbas will brief leaders of the countries on the latest developments in the Palestinian lands after Israel's Gaza withdrawal.

    Abbas will also discuss with the leaders how to apply the roadmap plan in order to push the Middle East peace process forward, they added.

    According to them, Abbas will meet with US President George W.Bush in Washington next Thursday.

    During a meeting Ramallah before heading for Amman, Abbas met with visiting US security coordinator Lt. Gen. Willam Ward andstressed the necessity of solving all pending problems, mainly Rafah crossing, as its closure increased the suffering of the Palestinian people and turned the Gaza Strip into a large prison. Enditem