RAMALLAH (AA) - Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan arrived in Israel Thursday for a weeklong visit, the first such trip by a Nigerian head of state to the self-proclaimed Jewish state.
"President Jonathan arrived in Israel today leading a large delegation of ministers and members of the Nigerian parliament," the head of public relations at the Nigerian Embassy in Tel Aviv told the Anadolu Agency.
He said the Nigerian leader would meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Israeli President Shimon Peres during his visit.
According to Israeli officials, talks between Jonathan and Israeli government figures are expected to focus on means of improving bilateral relations in numerous fields, including trade, economic development, infrastructure, transport, agriculture, communications, culture, education and tourism.
Jonathan is also expected to attend a signing ceremony for a Nigeria-Israel Bilateral Air Services Agreement on October 29.
The agreement, which some officials have described as a watershed, will allow direct flights between Israel and Nigeria, in addition to other mutual benefits.
"Jonathan will later meet with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas," said the Nigerian embassy official.
But Ramzy Taweel, a media officer at the Palestinian President's office, said Abbas was out of the country at the moment.
"No one knows exactly when he will meet the Nigerian president later this week," Taweel told the AA.
Jonathan is the first Nigerian leader to visit Israel, though he is not the first Christian to lead Africa's most populous nation, in which Muslims constitute a majority.
Nigerian policy vis-à-vis Israel has fluctuated since the country achieved independence in 1960, depending on the incumbent president's religion and/or political ideology.
At the United Nations, however, Nigeria has consistently voted in favor of an independent Palestinian state.
During the apartheid crisis in South Africa, Nigeria barred its officials from travelling to Israel, which it accused of promoting racism.
Jonathan is expected to visit several Christian shrines in the holy land, especially in the city of Al-Quds (Jerusalem) where he will perform prayers.
He will attend a special prayer session scheduled for Sunday at 10am Israeli time.
The Nigerian leader will also visit the Basilica of the Nativity in Bethlehem, where he is expected to kneel before Jesus' biblical birthplace before leaving for the Fields of the Shepherds and Ein Karem, where John the Baptist was said to have been born.
By Anees Barghouthi
