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Indonesia's President Wahid visits Saudi Arabia

DUBAI: Indonesia's President Abdurrahman Wahid has begun a visit to Saudi Arabia, the first stop on a two-week trip to 13 countries.

The official Saudi Press Agency reported that Wahid arrived in the kingdom on Friday evening and travelled to the Moslem holy city of Mecca to perform the umra, a minor pilgrimage.

Saudi newspapers earlier said that during his three-day stay in the kingdom Wahid was expected to meet senior officials, including King Fahd, to discuss bilateral ties, including Saudi aid to Indonesia following the Asian currency crisis.

After Saudi Arabia, Wahid is due to visit Switzerland, Britain, France, the Netherlands, Germany, Italy, the Vatican, the Czech Republic, Belgium, India, South Korea and Thailand.-Reuters