Jordan's king, Abbas view settlement expansion "big violation"

Dec 13, 2007, 14:11 GMT

Amman - Jordan's King Abdullah II and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas Thursday blasted Israel's expansion of a settlement in East Jerusalem as 'big violation' of the peace process.

The two leaders 'considered Israel's plan to build new settlement units at the Jabal Abu Ghunaim neighbourhood in East Jerusalem a big violation of the peace principles', a royal court statement said.

Israel captured East Jerusalem and the rest of the West Bank from Jordan in the 1967 six-day war.

Abbas briefed King Abdullah on the outcome of the first session of final status talks between the Palestinians and the Israelis that was held Wednesday as a follow-up of last month's Annapolis conference.

The holy city and other core issues - settlements, refuges and frontiers - are on the agenda of the bilateral discussions.

Responding to reporters' questions, Abbas said he considered US President George W Bush's declaration of plans to visit the region 'indicative of his seriousness and commitment to making peace'.

But he indicated the role played by Washington so far was inadequate. 'We want the United States to act as a strong referee' particularly on issues relating to settlements and pushing forward the peace talks, Abbas said.