RIYADH, June 09 (Agencies): Saudi Arabia King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud called on Saturday for a meeting in Makkah over Jordan crisis.
The Saudi Arabia King will meet with the leaders of Jordan, Kuwait and Abu Dhabi crown prince on Sunday, official of Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported.
The Saudi Arabia King made a phone call to King Abdullah II of Jordan, Kuwaiti Emir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah and Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the SPA said.
They all agreed to hold the meeting to discuss means of supporting Jordan to overcome its current economic crisis.
The potential meeting called by the Saudi king aims to protect Jordan from the disastrous fates of other Arab countries, especially war-torn Syria.
Jordan has witnessed protests nationwide after the government announced a controversial tax bill, leading to the resignation of the former Jordanian prime minister and his cabinet.
The newly-appointed Jordanian Prime Minister Omar Razzaz said in a statement that a consensus that the tax bill should be withdrawn has been reached after he consulted members of both houses of parliament.
Instability in some Arab countries has led to the rise of terrorism, sectarianism and extremism in the region, including the Islamic State militant group.
Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia says it will host a meeting among several Gulf Arab countries to offer support to Jordan after it faced mass protests over the kingdom's economic problems and its plans to tax its citizens.
A statement early Saturday on the state-run Saudi Press Agency said the meeting would "discuss means of supporting Jordan to overcome its current crisis."
That likely means cash from the oil-rich nations to Jordan, which has experienced an economic downturn.
Rising unemployment has hurt Jordan's economy, as has taking in a large number of refugees from war-wracked Syria and Iraq.
Jordan's King Abdullah II has replaced the country's prime minister over protests against a proposed income tax hike.
The unrest prompted a transition in the kingdom, with new Prime Minister Omar Al Razzaz, a former World Bank economist, withdrawing the controversial legislation earlier this week.
Some protests have dwindled since then as people welcomed the move and said they would wait to see if the new cabinet would help stop price hikes.
On Friday, Saudi crown Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman called King Abdullah, according to the government news agency Petra.
They discussed brotherly ties and regional developments.
They also reiterated boosting bilateral ties in different fields and to continue coordination and consultation in a manner that would serve the interests of both countries.
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