AMMAN (JT) - His Majesty King Abdullah on Thursday underlined the need to prevent any Israeli scheme to forestall peace negotiations in an attempt to create a vacuum that Israel will use to maintain the status quo.
At a meeting with visiting US envoy for the Middle East George Mitchell, King Abdullah said Israel will use such a stalemate to continue building settlements and proceed with its unilateral measures that undermine the possibility of establishing an independent and sovereign Palestinian state.
His Majesty cautioned against wasting the opportunity currently at hand to bring about peace, saying it is a must that these measures be stopped, especially the construction of settlements.
Launching negotiations that lead to peace is a priority that all should work to realise, King Abdullah said, adding that the alternative is a political vacuum that will only increase tension and conflict in the region.
The Monarch underlined the leading role the US plays in these negotiations and the need to put in place mechanisms that ensure the internationally accepted two-state solution is implemented within a specific time frame.
King Abdullah said it is important to extend all Arab and international support to the Palestinian Authority and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in his efforts to realise the rights of the Palestinians, especially their right to independence and statehood, through negotiations, which the King said should start as soon as possible.
His Majesty also said he highly valued Mitchell's efforts and US President Barack Obama's stand considering an end to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict as a strategic US interest.
The King said he was looking forward to working with Obama to achieve a lasting and permanent peace in the region in accordance with the relevant terms of reference that ensure the creation of an independent Palestinian state on Palestinian national soil.
The US envoy briefed the King on the outcome of his talks in the region with a view towards launching Palestinian-Israeli negotiations.
In remarks after the meeting with King Abdullah, Mitchell described the meeting as "excellent", stressing that the US and Jordan are strongly committed to realising a comprehensive peace by resolving the conflict based on the two-state solution.
The envoy said his country urges the Israelis, the Palestinians and the Arabs to take tangible steps to create a positive atmosphere for relaunching the peace process.
Also Thursday, Mitchell held talks with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak in his bid to push for a resumption of talks, Reuters reported.
After meetings with Mubarak, Foreign Minister Ahmed Abul Gheit and intelligence chief Omar Suleiman that lasted more than two hours, Mitchell made a short statement to reporters.
"We reiterated the shared commitment of the United States and Egypt to comprehensive peace in the Middle East including an end to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict based on a two-state solution," Mitchell said.
"The United States is asking all the parties - Israelis, Palestinians and the Arab states - to take responsibility for peace through concrete actions that will help create a positive context for the relaunch of negotiations," he added.
Mitchell met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday and will meet him again on Friday to push for a West Bank settlement freeze, a key demand of the United States and the Palestinians.
Mitchell did not comment on whether a planned meeting at next week's United Nations General Assembly between US President Barack Obama, Netanyahu and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas would go ahead.
Abbas has made a resumption of peace negotiations with Israel, suspended since December, conditional on halting settlement activity as stipulated by a US-backed 2003 peace "roadmap" charting a course towards Palestinian statehood.
Netanyahu has said he would be prepared to temporarily limit the scope of building but projects under way would continue.
Mubarak called on Israel to stop all settlement activities and resume talks with Palestinians in a meeting with Netanyahu in Cairo on Sunday.
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