Jordan's king urges enhanced EU, US roles to spur Mideast peace

Feb 15, 2009, 15:56 GMT

Amman- King Abdullah II of Jordan on Sunday urged the European Union and the United States to work to reinvigorate peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians.

The monarch's calls, made during a meeting with a British parliamentary delegation on a regional fact-finding tour, backed such talks as a precursor to an independent Palestinian state.

'King Abdullah underlined the importance of a European role and the early involvement of the US administration in the peace efforts in accordance with a clear strategy based on the two-state solution with a view to achieving a tangible progress,' the royal court statement added.

In a related development, Norwegian Middle East peace envoy John Hansen met on Sunday with Jordanian Foreign Minister Salah Bashir and briefed him on Norway's efforts to firm up the ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, a foreign ministry statement said.

The Norwegian emissary told Bashir that Oslo planned to call a meeting of an international panel in April to look into means for boosting the Palestinian economy.

The discussions during the meeting also tackled 'latest developments in the region in the wake of the Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip and world efforts under way to bring about a settlement for the Palestinian-Israeli conflict,' according to the statement.