Washington, DC - May 30 (Petra) -- During a brief visit to the United States, His Majesty King Abdullah met with U.S. President George W. Bush in Washington on Monday evening, May 29th 2006, to discuss bilateral ties as well as latest developments in the Middle East.
His Majesty expressed gratitude for the continued support provided by the United States to Jordan and thanked the President for considering additional assistance to the Kingdom this year, at a time when Jordan's economy is facing many challenges associated with high oil prices.
On the Palestinian-Israeli issue, King Abdullah underlined the importance of moving forward in the pursuit of a two-state solution as outlined in President Bush's vision for peace.
He also stressed the need for both Israelis and Palestinians to resume negotiations as soon as possible and reiterated the need to channel assistance to the Palestinian people in order to avert a humanitarian crisis in the Palestinian territories.
His Majesty also stressed that Jordan will continue to play a key role in moving the peace process forward.
King Abdullah will be meeting with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, as he regularly does, and separately with Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert in the next few weeks.
The King also welcomed the formation of the new Iraqi government as a step forward in establishing peace, stability and security and emphasized the need for an inclusive political process in Iraq.
His Majesty stressed that Jordan will continue to support the Iraqi government and the Iraqi people in achieving their aspirations.
King Abdullah will head to Germany on Friday for talks with Chancellor Angela Merkel on the latest regional developments and means to enhance bilateral ties.
