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Saudi king on debut European tour

From CNN Madrid Bureau Chief Al Goodman

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MADRID, Spain (CNN) -- Saudi King Abdullah was due to arrive in Spain on Monday, his first trip to a Western country since he ascended to the throne two years ago.

The king will meet with Spain's King Juan Carlos and Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero on the visit, which ends Wednesday. Juan Carlos visited Saudi Arabia last year.

The Saudi visit will focus on efforts to bring peace to the Middle East, security issues, including the fight against international terror, global energy issues and strengthening economic ties between the two nations, said the Saudi ambassador to Spain, Prince Saud Bin Naif Al Saud, a member of the Saudi royal family and a nephew of the king.

Abdullah succeeded King Fahd, who died in 2005 after guiding the world's largest oil exporter for more than two decades.

As king, Abdullah has visited the Far East and Arab states, but not yet a Western country, Al Saud said.

Abdullah was flying to Madrid from Casablanca, Morocco. There, on Sunday, he talked to Spanish newspaper El Pais, which reported Monday that he is concerned about the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the instability in Iraq and Lebanon.

"My fears are the same as all sensible people," El Pais quoted Abdullah, in its Spanish report translated to English by CNN, "that the continuation of all of these conflicts could provoke an outbreak (of violence) that would not be limited to the region but would have global dimensions."

Abdullah will be accompanied by five Saudi ministers: the foreign minister, Prince Saud al Faisal, a member of the royal family, and the ministers of state, labor, treasury and culture-and-information, said Al Saud and a Spanish official.

They said the delegation will also have other top Saudi officials, including Prince Bandar bin Sultan, the king's national security adviser.

Bandar, the former Saudi ambassador to the United States, has been at the center of a controversy after allegations that he received up to $2 billion in secret payments from a British defense firm, BAE Systems, over a period of nearly 20 years. Bandar has denied the allegations.

Saudi Arabia and Spain expect to sign bilateral treaties on taxes and on the transfer of convicted prisoners during Abdullah's visit, the Spanish government said in a written statement.

The two nations are at an advanced stage in negotiating other accords on security -- including fighting terrorism and crime -- and on military cooperation and health, Al Saud said. But it was not immediately clear if those other agreements would also be signed during the visit.

"We have a clear understanding on the war against terror and we are determined to fight it nationally and internationally," Al Saud said. "I think we have had an excellent relation in that respect on fighting terrorism, with the United States and also with other countries, including Spain."

This is the first state visit by a Saudi monarch to Spain in 25 years, the Spanish government said.

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