Israel PM pays historic visit to Oman

Israel's Prime Minister paid a historic visit to Oman, where he met the Sultan of the Gulf country which is yet to establish formal diplomatic ties with Israel, official sources said on Friday.

The Omani state-run TV broadcast a video of Sultan Qaboos bin Said welcoming Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the royal palace of Bait al-Baraka, near Muscat, reports Efe news.

"Prime Minister Netanyahu's visit to Oman is the first official meeting at this level since 1996," Netanyahu posted on his official Twitter account, accompanying the tweet with a photo of the meeting.

During the meeting, Netanyahu and the Sultan discussed boosting the peace process in the Middle East and matters of mutual interest, including security and stability in the region, according to the sources.

Israeli media reported that Netanyahu was accompanied during the visit by his wife Sara and a number of leading state officials, including the director of the Israeli intelligence agency Mossad, Yossi Cohen.

Oman, like most Arab countries except Egypt and Jordan, does not recognize the state of Israel.-IANS