Putin in Jordan to demonstrate regional ambitions

AMMAN, Feb 13 (Reuters) Russian President Vladimir Putin, on the last leg of a Middle East tour of three US allies, will meet Jordan's King Abdullah and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas today in a clear show of Russia's regional ambitions.

Earlier, in Saudi Arabia and Qatar, Putin suggested Russian foreign policy offered an alternative to US ''unilateralism'' in the search for a solution to the Middle East problems.

He also called for cooperation among the world's key energy exporters.

''We are striving to create a fairer world order based on principles of equality,'' Putin told a business forum in Riyadh.

''This is a course Russia conducts everywhere including the spacious Arabian Peninsula and the Gulf,'' he added. ''Time has shown our views find support in Arab and other Muslim states.'' Putin's remarks followed his address to an international security conference in Munich on Saturday, in which the Kremlin leader accused the United States of trying to impose its will on the world by military force.

In an interview with Al Jazeera television on Saturday Putin cited the US invasion in Iraq as an example of unilateral actions that made things worse and called for a broader international approach to the Palestinian crisis.

Russia, a member of the Middle East Quartet also including the United Nations, the European Union and the United States, will renew efforts to call a broad regional conference, Putin said in Qatar.

He appeared to be referring to Moscow's plan to engage Syria and Iran -- so far rejected by the Western partners.

RIA news agency quoted Putin's top foreign policy aide Sergei Prikhodko as saying a three-way meeting between Abbas, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice due on Feb 18 would be discussed when Putin met Abbas.

Rice is planning the meeting to try to revive long-stalled peace talks.

COOPERATION In Jordan, whose King Abdullah has visited Moscow more than once, Putin may find some support for his views.

''King Abdullah was one of the first to welcome Russia's return into the equation needed to maintain the global balance of forces,'' Russian media quoted Jordan's ambassador to Moscow, Abdul Illah al-Kurdi, as saying ahead of Putin's visit.

Prikhodko said in Jordan Putin will also focus on boosting economic ties, including cooperation in pipeline construction, transport, oil refining and building new power stations.

During his regional tour, Putin underpinned his political ideas with an invitation to Qatar, which has the second biggest natural gas reserves, to step up cooperation in world markets.

Although Qatar has rejected the idea of forming an OPEC-like gas cartel, which has alarmed the West, Putin returned to it in Doha.

''I've said (a cartel) is an interesting proposal,'' he told a news conference. ''But it's a different question whether we need a cartel and whether we will set up an organisation like this.'' ''But we of course need to coordinate our actions,'' Putin added.

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