Amman - Jordan's King Abdullah II and Queen Rania flew to Qatar on Monday for a state visit that heralds a rapprochement between the two Arab countries after a decade of strained ties.

The royal trip was preceded two weeks ago by a visit to the oil-rich emirate by the Jordanian Prime Minister Nader Dahabi who said that the two countries were preparing to embark on an era of economic cooperation that involves the investment of Qatari funds in Jordan.

The Jordanian royal court said Abdullah and the Emir of Qatar Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani would discuss boosting bilateral cooperation and enhancing coordination on pan-Arab and regional issues.

Ties between Jordan and Qatar began to turn sour in 1999 when Jordanian authorities deported to Doha leading members of the Palestinian group Hamas, including its currently politburo chief Khaled Meshaal, after closing down the faction's office in Amman.

Two years ago, pro-government Jordanian media assailed the Qatari government for its failure to back Jordan's nominee to the post of the United Nations secretary general. (dpa)