AMMAN, March 31 (Xinhua) -- German Chancellor Angela Merkel arrived at the Jordanian Red Sea port of Aqaba on Saturday on the first leg of her Middle East tour.

    Merkel is due to hold talks with Jordan's King Abdullah and senior officials on ways to push the Mideast peace process forward and latest regional developments, foremost the outcome of the just-ended Arab summit in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, the official Petra newsagency reported.

    They are also expected to discuss the situation in Iraq in addition to ways of enhancing security and stability in the war-torn country, Petra said.

    Merkel's official visit comes within the diplomatic efforts she started early this year, after her country held the rotating presidency of the European Union (EU).

    Merkel will also visit Israel, the Palestinian territories and Lebanon.

    The main purpose of the visit is to assess the chances for a solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and gain a first-hand impression of the new Palestinian national unity government, the German government sources said on Friday.