Jordanian monarch discusses Syrian crisis with Putin

King Abdullah II of Jordan has called Russian President Vladimir Putin to congratulate him on his country's Christmas celebrations. During the telephone conversation conducted Tuesday, the two leaders also talked about "the exemplary" Jordanian-Russian ties and the overall situation in the Middle East, particularly developments of the Syrian crisis and preparations for the Geneva2 conference. The leaders also discussed efforts to achieve peace between Palestinians and Israelis based on international legitimacy resolutions and the two-state solution. King Abdullah also condoled Putin on the victims of two recent terrorist bombings in the Russian city of Volgograd and condemned the attacks.