(MENAFN - Jordan Times) His Majesty King Abdullah on Tuesday held talks with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on efforts to revive peace talks between the Palestinians and Israelis.
The King underlined the need to create the appropriate conditions to relaunch peace talks that address all final status issues and lead to the establishment of an independent and viable Palestinian state on the 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital, a Royal Court statement said.
He said the meetings held between Palestinian and Israeli officials in Amman constitute a step to build on and should be followed by other meetings to overcome the obstacles hindering the resumption of direct negotiations based on the two-state formula.
The two leaders expressed their keenness to continue coordination and consultation regarding issues of mutual concern.
The King said his meeting with President Barack Obama during his upcoming visit to the US will partly focus on means to support peace efforts.
Abbas voiced his appreciation of the King's efforts to push the peace process forward and for Jordan's continuous support for the Palestinian people.
"We appreciate King Abdullah's initiative to host the meetings between the Palestinians and Israelis, which comes within his keenness to support the Palestinian Authority and the rights of the Palestinian people."
Foreign Minister Nasser Judeh, King's Office Director Imad Fakhoury, King's Adviser for Media Affairs Amjad Adaileh, Palestinian chief negotiator Saeb Erekat and Palestinian Ambassador in Amman Ata Khairi attended the meeting.
In remarks after the meeting, Abbas expressed hope that more meetings between Palestinians and Israelis will be held on January 26 in order to return to "the legal basis that allows the resumption of negotiations".
Abbas welcomed any opportunity that Jordan helps create to push peace efforts forward, which, he said, must be utilised regardless of how weak the prospects are.
On Monday, Palestinian and Israeli negotiators held another meeting in Amman to discuss means to revive negotiations. Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Mohammad Kayed said the discussions were "transparent".
Also on Tuesday, His Majesty King Abdullah discussed the latest developments in the region with Tony Blair, representative of the international Quartet for the Middle East.
Discussions also covered peace efforts in light of the meetings held between Palestinian and Israeli officials in Amman last week, according to a Royal Court statement.
King Abdullah said the international community must increase efforts to return the Palestinians and Israelis to the negotiating table, in order to come up with a permanent and just solution that addresses final status issues.
For his part, Blair briefed the King on the Quartet's endeavours to overcome obstacles hindering the Middle East peace process.
Also yesterday, Judeh met with Blair and discussed the latest developments in the Middle East and efforts geared towards bringing about peace. Judeh underlined that the establishment of an independent state is in the best interest of the whole world and a national interest for Jordan.
