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The political leader of Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas is on his first official visit to Jordan since he was expelled from the country in 1999.

Khaled Meshaal had talks with Jordan's King Abdullah soon after his arrival.

In a brief statement, Mr Meshaal made no mention of rumours that he and the Hamas leadership are looking to move from their current base in Syria.

But he expressed a commitment to security and stability in Jordan, saying he was keen to improve ties.

"With this new chapter in relations with Jordan, we hope Jordanian and Palestinian interests will be served," a palace statement quoted him as saying.

He has been accompanied on his visit to Jordan by Qatar's Crown Prince, Sheikh Hamad Bin Tamim al-Thani, who is mediating talks.

Mr Meshaal and other Hamas leaders were expelled from Jordan in 1999 accused of "illicit and harmful" activities.

It came as Amman built closer links with the US and following a 1994 peace treaty with Israel.

The Hamas leader, who has Jordanian citizenship, has since been based in the Syrian capital, Damascus.

The BBC's Dale Gavlak in Amman says Jordan is looking to build bridges with Islamists who have been gaining ground following the uprisings across the Arab world.

Amman is also believed to be trying to raise its profile in efforts to reconcile Hamas with the rival Palestinian faction, Fatah, It has already hosted informal talks to try to get Israel and the Palestinians back to the negotiating table.

Jordan and Hamas have a long history. In September 1997, the then King Hussein of Jordan intervened after two Israeli agents stabbed Khaled Meshaal with an obscure and deadly poison in an Amman street.

King Hussein told the Israelis unless they sent the antidote he would scrap the peace treaty between the two countries. Israel duly did.

But Jordan has downplayed suggestions that Hamas is seeking to set up a base in the kingdom, saying such a step was never raised in Sunday's talks.

One senior Jordanian official said the visit would "break the ice, following years of estrangement" but that Hamas would not be given permission to reopen its offices in the country, the Associated Press news agency reports.

Hamas itself has denied any plan to move its headquarters from Syria due to the unrest there.

"The decision to stay in Damascus on the individual level is a personal decision. The leaders up to this moment have made no decision to leave Damascus," Mahmoud al-Zahar, a Hamas spokesman in the Gaza Strip, told the BBC.

"We are neutral," he said of the situation in Syria. "We are not involved in any confrontation between authority and people. We've kept our policy on all issues in order to keep our relations with all the Arab countries."

Formed in 1987, Hamas is the largest Palestinian militant Islamist organisation.

It is designated a terrorist organisation by Israel, the US and the EU. But supporters consider Hamas a legitimate fighting force defending Palestinians from a brutal military occupation.

BRUSSELS Jan 30 (Reuters) – European leaders met on
Monday to discuss how to balance austerity with growth at a
summit that approved a permanent rescue fund for the euro zone.

Following are comments from leaders after the summit:

POLISH PRIME MINISTER DONALD TUSK

ON POLISH DEMANDS TO PARTICIPATE IN EURO ZONE SUMMITS:

“We are not fully happy with the compromise but we are happy
enough to sign it.”

“We were trying to explain for weeks that the (proposals)
had threatened the sense of (European) community. We met, maybe
not half way, but from our perspective, and everyone else’s, the
current plan preserves the sense of community.”

“We have been pointing out that content of the fiscal pact
could have been more ambitious. Our intention was not only to
safeguard the European community but also to help euro zone
leaders who have been for months struggling to build tools to
effectively protect the euro zone from the debt crisis.”

GERMAN CHANCELLOR ANGELA MERKEL

ON MONITORING GREECE:

“Greece has two unique elements. It is a special case with
regards to the involvement of private creditors. Secondly, such
supervision is only necessary if a country does not meet the
guidelines when it is examined.

“That’s not the case with Portugal so far and certainly not
the case with Ireland. But it is the case with Greece. And that
is why the need for such supervision arises.

“Greece is a special case. When there are indications in the
latest examination that certain things have not been adhered to
there is for the countries that have provided financing for the
programme then there is, (Swedish Prime Minister) Fredrik
Reinfeldt called it, a certain frustration. Then the question
is: is the supervision good enough? Does it have to be
improved?”

ON NEW GREEK PROGRAMME:

“When we say that the Greek programme will cost more, we
have to ask ourselves what we want. We want a debt
sustainability in Greece in 2020 of roughly 120 percent (of
gross domestic product). If a programme is getting more
expensive so that we have to spend more than 100 billion euros
then that does not make Greece’s debt more sustainable.

“That rather increases its debts. The money has to be paid
back some day.

“One must find ways through more action from the Greek
government, through more contributions from private creditors,
for example, to close this gap. That is being negotiated now.”

EUROPEAN COMMISSION PRESIDENT JOSE MANUEL BARROSO

ON TALKS ON BONDHOLDER LOSSES ON GREEK DEBT:

“We had a brief discussion on Greece, and in fact we have
noted the progress made in negotiations with the private sector
to reach an agreement in line with the parameters agreed upon in
October.”

Now the Greek authorities and the others involved “have to
finalise negotiations on a new programme in the coming days.
Restoration of credibility also requires that all political
parties commit to this new programme in a completely clear way.”

“We urge also the finance ministers to take all necessary
steps for the implementation of the PSI agreement and the
adoption of the new programme, including prior actions, well in
time for the launching of the PSI operations by mid-February.”

“And we recall that PSI in Greece is an exceptional and
unique case.”

“So I’m confident that provided that there is good
cooperation now between the (EU-IMF) troika and the Greek
authorities, and our mission as you know is there in Athens, we
can conclude this new programme in the next days, but I cannot
commit now to an exclusive date or exactly the format of this
new agreement.”

BRITISH PRIME MINISTER DAVID CAMERON

ON EUROPEAN FISCAL PACT

“Our national interest is that these countries get on and
sort out the mess that is the euro. It’s also in our national
interest that the new treaty outside the EU doesn’t encroach on
the single market or the things that we care about.

“That’s the outcome that we want to achieve. So we’ll be
watching like a hawk and if there is any sign that they are
going to encroach on the single market, then clearly we would
take the appropriate action, if I can put it that way.

“But if they are going to stick to fiscal union issues and
all the things they are planning, then that’s an outcome Britain
is comfortable with.”

ON FINANCIAL TRANSACTION TAX

“In the spirit of this healthy competition with France, if
France goes for a financial transactions tax then the door will
be open and we’ll be able to open many more French banks and
businesses to the UK and we’ll expand our economy in that way.”

ON FRIENDSHIP WITH FRENCH PRESIDENT NICOLAS SARKOZY:

“I’m a big supporter and friend of Nicolas Sarkozy. I wish
him well. He’s a remarkable man. I worked with him very closely
over the Libyan conflict. I think that was probably the closest
the British and French have worked together in the last 40
years.

“So I’m full of admiration for Nicolas. Every now and then
he says something I don’t agree with. Today, when he said that
Britain is short of industry – we actually have a larger
industrial sector than France – but we’ll gloss over that.”

EU COUNCIL PRESIDENT HERMAN VAN ROMPUY

ON NEGOTIATIONS ON BONDHOLDER LOSSES ON GREEK DEBT:

“We welcome the progress made in the negotiations with the
private sector. We count on the Greek authorities and the
(EU-IMF) troika to agree on the steps to put the current
programme back on track.”

“We urge finance ministers to take all necessary actions to
implement the private sector involvement (PSI) agreement and to
adopt the new programme by the end of the week, well in time for
the launching of the PSI by mid-February.”

FRENCH PRESIDENT NICOLAS SARKOZY

ON NEW FISCAL COMPACT TREATY AND EURO ZONE MEETINGS:

“I think it’s important that matters be clear. That we
should not remain in this ambiguity. Those that want the treaty
should call for it and implement it forcefully, and those who
have reservations should say so, and say what those reservations
are and say ‘we are not going to sign’.”

“I believe very honestly and very seriously that this
clarification was necessary. Europe is based on compromise, we
must make compromises, but there comes a point when compromise
goes too far and it can jeopardise the whole edifice.”

“So there will be three levels of meetings. When it’s the
single market, the 27 will meet; when it’s the euro plus pact,
in other words when it’s all those who are in the euro or wish
to join the euro will meet, that will be 25 or 26 of us; and
when it’s matters pertaining exclusively to the euro area, then
it will be 17 members who will meet.”

“That is the way things will operate. That doesn’t mean that
it’s a multi-speed Europe, it doesn’t mean that there are
countries that will be left on the sidelines, it just means that
there are different degrees of integration, and everyone is free
to choose where they stand.”

ON CZECH POSITION ON NEW FISCAL COMPACT:

“The Czech prime minister told us that for constitutional
reasons, he did not wish to accede to the future treaty. We have
taken note of that decision.”

“I’m not sufficiently familiar with the ins and outs of what
is going on in Prague to be able to understand why what was
acceptable in December is no longer acceptable now.”

“But it will be a treaty with 25 members, because the Danish
prime minister told us that her parliament has given her the
authority to ratify the treaty, so it will be a treaty among
25.”

ON GREECE:

“As far as the Greek situation is concerned, let me tell you
that things are going ahead in the right direction, and we are
hopeful that Greece’s situation will be the subject of a
definitive agreement in the next few days.”

Following are comments ahead of the summit, earlier in the
day:

AUSTRIAN CHANCELLOR WERNER FAYMANN

ON MONITORING GREECE:

“I don’t think it’s a good idea to just have one
commissioner for one country. I prefer the Commission to work in
the same way as with other programme countries and make strict
controls. There’s the (EU-IMF) troika and others who do this
job.”

ON SUMMIT AIMS:

“We now also have to talk about growth. We have to make
savings, everybody knows this, to sort out budgets everywhere.
But the big is question is how can we tackle employment. If we
don’t massively campaign for sustainable growth then we are
missing a pillar.

“I think that the financial transaction tax and strong
banking rules are part of an approach where our citizens see
that employment is not a minor point for us but just as
important as savings and the debt brake.”

DANISH PRIME MINISTER HELLE THORNING-SCHMIDT

“It’s very important that we don’t forget the growth and the
jobs. Everything starts and ends with growth and jobs, but we
also have to understand that in each individual member state you
have to have balanced budgets and it is important for all of us
that we now have balanced budgets.

“We have to balance budgets and at the same time focus on
growth and jobs. It is possible to do both at the same time and
it is important to understand that these are two sides of the
same coin — they are interlinked.”

BRITISH PRIME MINISTER DAVID CAMERON

“This is the European Council where we need to get really
serious about the growth agenda in Europe. That means completing
the single market, it means signing trade deals with the fastest
growing parts of the world and it means a serious effort at
deregulation, particularly for small businesses, so they can
create the jobs and the growth that we need.

“That’s the agenda I am going to be pushing and I hope to
find a lot of support.”

GERMAN CHANCELLOR ANGELA MERKEL

ASKED ABOUT MONITORING GREEK BUDGET SPENDING:

“I think we’re having a discussion we shouldn’t be having.
It’s about how Europe can be supportive so Greece can comply, so
there are targets. But this is only possible if Greece and the
other countries debate this. This is why I don’t want a
controversial debate, but a constructive one which is
successful. Successful for the people in Greece and nothing
else.”

LUXEMBOURG’S PRIME MINISTER AND EUROGROUP PRESIDENT
JEAN-CLAUDE JUNCKER

ON MONITORING GREECE:

“I don’t think we should single out Greece. If we are
prepared to make sure in the treaty that we do this to countries
that are constantly outside of the track, then I’m not opposed,
but I don’t think it’s fortunate to have this only with regards
to Greece.”

“Greece is not the focus of today’s summit but we will
without doubt talk about it.”

ON SUMMIT AIMS:

“It is about employment. We have to learn to explain that
it’s not just about the consolidation our finances, but we also
need the prospect of growth.”

SWEDISH PRIME MINISTER FREDRIK REINFELDT

ON MONITORING GREECE:

“We need to have things in place for monitoring that they
are really doing what they are promising.”

“You can always discuss how you should do it and what you
call it. I understand the frustration. The feeling has been that
Greece, who needs support from outside to be able to survive…
do not deliver on the reforms they have promised others.”

“The experience is that you need help from outside when you
need to make tough reforms.”

DUTCH PRIME MINISTER MARK RUTTE

ON SITUATION IN GREECE AND BUDGETARY MONITORING:

“I never comment on proposals of colleagues ahead of the
summit but in general terms you know the position of the
Netherlands. Quid pro quo. If we are prepared, in the case of
Greece, to also in our own interest help the Greeks to get
through this difficult period, we expect them to implement the
agreement very well.”

Micronesia, in the western Pacific, consists of some 600 islands grouped into four states: Kosrae, Pohnpei, Chuuk (Truk) and Yap.

Occupying a very small total land mass, it is scattered over an ocean expanse five times the size of France.

Though formally independent, in 1986 Micronesia signed a "Compact of Free Association" with the US. Under this, Washington took on responsibility for defence and gained the right to set up military bases and deny other nations access to Micronesia. In return, Micronesia received financial assistance averaging $100m per year, and the right of Micronesians to live and work in the US. Micronesia also takes its cue from Washington on foreign policy.

A renegotiated 20-year compact, worth $3.5 billion to Micronesia and the Marshall Islands, was signed by US President George W Bush in December 2003. Some of the money is being diverted into trust funds, intended to provide a financial resource for Micronesia after the compact expires.

Despite its small population and the large amount of incoming aid from the US, Japan and elsewhere, Micronesia has relatively high unemployment, a matter compounded by increasing numbers of Filipino migrant workers.

Many Micronesians live without electricity or running water, which is in short supply and is sometimes rationed. The gap between rich and poor is increasing as business and officials benefit disproportionately from US aid donations.

Micronesia's biggest challenge is to find a way of lessening its dependence on foreign aid. Given the islands' splendid beaches and scuba diving opportunities, tourism offers one possibility, but this is constrained by the lack of adequate infrastructure and the islands' remoteness.

GAITHERSBURG, Maryland (Reuters) – Children who take a common drug for attention deficit disorder should be warned about the risk of suicidal thoughts, U.S. pediatric health advisers said on Monday.

Several members of an advisory committee to the Food and Drug Administration asked the agency to change the label for Focalin, an attention deficit medicine made by Swiss drugmaker Novartis AG, to reflect this risk. The drug is approved for children aged 6 or older.

The FDA often follows the advice of its committees, although it is not required to.

The FDA said it received eight reports of suicidal thoughts for children or adolescents who took the drug over the past six years, and four of the cases appeared to be linked to the medicine. The link for the remaining cases was less clear.

“The suicidal ideation seems to be pretty serious,” said Dr. Sheldon Kaplan, panel member and chief of infectious diseases at Texas Children’s Hospital.

But the FDA said the risk of suicidal thoughts did not appear in clinical trials for Focalin, and the later reports were a tiny number compared to how many children used the drug.

“I’m somewhat puzzled by the focus of suicidal ideation,” said Tom Laughren, head of the FDA’s psychiatric products division, in response to the panel’s recommendation.

“These drugs are very widely used. And what you’re seeing here are a handful of reports that are difficult to interpret with regard to causality,” he said.

The number of children diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) has skyrocketed in recent years, with the condition now affecting 3 to 5 percent of kids globally.

Children with ADHD are excessively restless, impulsive and easily distracted, and often have trouble at home and in school. There is no cure, but the symptoms can be kept in check by a combination of behavioral therapy and medication.

In the United States, some 2.7 million people have prescriptions for ADHD drugs including Novartis’ Ritalin, Johnson & Johnson’s Concerta, Shire’s Adderall and Vyvanse and Eli Lilly’s Strattera.

Some patient advocates say doctors and parents may be too quick to diagnose kids with the condition, and the drugs may cause side effects that can damage children’s health.

The FDA said about 1.8 million children received prescriptions for Focalin or its generic versions from May 2005 to July 2011.

The label for Focalin already warns patients that they may have new psychotic or manic symptoms after taking the drug, but does not mention suicidal thoughts.

Out of other ADHD drugs, only Strattera’s label mentions thoughts of suicide as a side effect, as part of a restrictive “black box” warning.

The FDA monitors reports of side effects from medicines after they’ve been approved in order to discover potential safety problems. For drugs that are used by children, the agency must hold regular advisory meetings to review their safety.

The advisory committee and FDA reviewers also recommended a change to Focalin’s label to reflect the risk of anaphylaxis, an allergic reaction, and angioedema, a type of swelling beneath the skin.

Novartis said it is will make any necessary changes to Focalin’s label after discussing them with the FDA.

“Novartis is committed to patient safety and will continue to work closely with the FDA as the agency completes its review,” said Brandi Robinson, spokeswoman for the company.

(Reporting by Anna Yukhananov; Editing by Richard Chang)

ExxonMobil Qatar has underlined its ongoing commitment to the Commercialbank Qatar Masters, presented by Dolphin Energy, by signing a two-year sponsorship agreement with the Doha-staged European Tour golf event.

This deal builds on many years of sponsorship between ExxonMobil and the event since first staged in 1998. This year’s tournament will again be hosted by the Qatar Golf Association (QGA), the Qatar Olympic Committee (QOC) and the Commercial Bank Qatar at Doha Golf Club from February 2 – 5.

“ExxonMobil has been firmly behind this tournament since it began fourteen years ago and we are delighted to have seen it grow to become one of the premier overseas tournaments on the European Tour schedule,” said Bart Cahir, President and General Manager of ExxonMobil Qatar Inc.

“With first appearances by Jason Day and Hunter Mahan – two of the brightest talents in the game – golf fans around the world will look to Qatar to see who will be named the next champion.”

“Qatar’s leadership has identified sports as a way to showcase Qatar to the world – and events like the Commercialbank Qatar Masters demonstrate Qatar’s great success in this area,” said Cahir.

“Thanks to the Qatar Golf Association, Qatar Olympic Committee and Commercialbank, this golf tournament ranks alongside the very best in the sport and again confirms the nation as a home of world-class sporting properties – a key component in the Qatar National Vision 2030.”

The agreement was signed by Bart Cahir and Commercialbank Deputy CEO Abdulla Al Raisi in the presence of Qatar Golf Association President Hassan Al Naimi, Dolphin Energy General Manager Qatar Adel Ahmed Albuainain and Tournament Manager and Doha Golf Club General Manager Chris Myers during a signing ceremony at Doha Golf Club.

“The Qatar Golf Association and ExxonMobil have an excellent relationship stretching back to the first professional tournament staged here back in 1998,” said Al Raisi.

“This tournament benefits from working hand-in-hand with sponsors who are not only supporters of sport but also of the State of Qatar. ExxonMobil is one of those sponsors who work with us to maintain the event’s status as one of the most popular and professional events on the players’ calendar and we thank them once again for showing their commitment to the tournament’s future.”

The 2012 Commercialbank Qatar Masters, presented by Dolphin Energy, has attracted a formidable player field who will take to a 7,414-yard course widely considered the toughest Middle East challenge on The European Tour. Day and Mahan will join World Number Two Lee Westwood, World Number Four Martin Kaymer, 2010 US Open Champion Graeme McDowell, TPC Champion KJ Choi, and reigning Dubai World Champion and former Commercialbank Qatar Masters winner Alvaro Quiros in the battle for the championship.

“We have a powerful line-up of players and an equally-strong collection of sponsors,” added Tournament Manager Chris Myers.

“Our thanks go to ExxonMobil for their support in what we have achieved and their belief in the event’s future.”