AMMAN, 28 February 2007 — King Abdallah of Jordan flew to London yesterday on the first leg of a tour that was also scheduled to take him to Washington in a bid to ensure an early resumption of peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians, according to an official statement.
The monarch’s talks with British Prime Minister Tony Blair and later with US President George W Bush will also cover “ongoing efforts to restore security and stability to Iraq and work out reconciliation among the various components of the Iraqi people,” the statement from the Royal Court said.
“The monarch is due to discuss with Blair means for relaunching the Middle East peace process in accordance with the two-state vision and UN resolutions,” the statement added, referring to the setting up of an independent Palestinian state that lives in peace with Israel.
Abdallah is scheduled to conduct talks in Washington with Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney and address a joint session of the two houses of Congress. “The monarch is going to ask the United States to put its political weight this year behind moves aimed at surmounting obstacles that impede the achievement of tangible progress in the peace process in the near future,” the royal court statement said.
