By Mohammad Ben Hussein

AMMAN –– His Majesty King Abdullah on Monday discussed with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas the latest developments in the region and efforts to relaunch serious negotiations between Palestinians and Israelis based on the two-state solution, a Royal Court statement said.

At the meeting, King Abdullah reiterated Jordan’s support for the Palestinian Authority in its attempts to achieve the Palestinian people’s rights to establish an independent viable state on their national soil.

The Monarch urged the international community to exert intensive efforts to provide a suitable environment for negotiations, which he said should be built on the results of previous talks that guarantee reaching the two-state solution in accordance with a time frame and international terms of reference and the Arab Peace Initiative.

The two leaders stressed the need to halt Israeli settlement activity in the occupied Palestinian territories and all unilateral measures that jeopardise peace efforts.

Meanwhile, Abbas briefed the King on the recent talks with US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and US special envoy to the region George Mitchell on means to overcome obstacles to peace negotiations.

King Abdullah on Monday received a telephone call from Clinton, during which she briefed the Monarch on the results of negotiations carried out during her visit to the region, another Palace statement said.

His Majesty and Abbas agreed to continue coordination on peace efforts, the statement said.

At a separate meeting with Mitchell, the King called for ending all Israeli unilateral measures including settlement expansion and measures that seek to change the identity of Jerusalem and the holy places, saying such actions will jeopardise the opportunity at hand to achieve peace.

The meeting was attended by Royal Court Chief Nasser Lozi, King’s Adviser Ayman Safadi, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs David Hale, Director for Near Eastern Affairs at the National Security Council Dan Shapiro and US Ambassador to Amman Robert Beecroft.

King Abdullah said the US has a “leading” role in the Mideast peace process, which, he said, should lead to the implementation of the two-state solution, to which Washington is committed.

He referred in this context to US President Barack Obama’s speech at the UN General Assembly meeting in September, where he stressed the US commitment to achieve peace in the Middle East based on the two-state solution that guarantees the establishment of an independent viable Palestinian state and end to the Israeli occupation of Arab lands.

The King also called for supporting the Palestinian Authority and Abbas in their pursuit to restore the rights of Palestinians.

He warned against the consequences of failure to achieve peace, security and stability in the entire region.

Meanwhile, Mitchell stressed the US commitment to achieve a comprehensive and long-lasting peace in the region by bringing an end to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict in accordance with the two-state formula.

Also Monday, Abbas met in Amman with Mitchell for a closed-door meeting that came two days after a shift in Washington’s stand on peace talks was reported.

The US had urged a total halt to new Israeli construction in the West Bank as a precursor to new negotiations, but on Saturday Clinton said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's offer to restrict new building was "unprecedented", Agence France-Presse said yesterday.

Washington has struggled for months to revive peace talks, but has made little visible progress, AFP said, adding that the issue of Israeli settlements on Palestinian land, considered illegal by the international community, is considered to be the main stumbling block.

The agency quoted Clinton as saying on Monday that Washington still opposes new Jewish settlements in the West Bank.

She said Netanyahu’s offer "falls far short of our preferences" but was still worth seizing.

"If it is acted upon it will be an unprecedented restriction on settlements and will have a significant and meaningful effect on restraining their growth," Clinton said ahead of a meeting of Arab foreign ministers in Marrakech, Morocco.

Following a meeting between Abbas and Mitchell at the residence of the Palestinian ambassador, chief negotiator Saeb Erekat said they received assurances from the US administration of commitment to seek a settlement freeze in the West Bank.

“Senator Mitchell said to us that the American position has not changed, they consider settlements as illegitimate, and they do not accept the annexation of East Jerusalem to Israel.”

Erekat also said the US wants to keep its promise of seeing the birth of a Palestinian state within two years.

“They want to do every possible efforts to achieve a permanent Palestinian state within 24 months.”

“We asked the Americans to have the Israelis comply with their obligation emanating from the first phase of the roadmap. When we say Israel must stop all settlement activities including natural growth and including Jerusalem, that is not a Palestinian condition, that is an Israeli obligation.”

Erekat said: “It was time that Israel understands its obligations to the roadmap and international law,” in reference to renewed Israeli settlement projects in the West Bank and Jerusalem.

“To make a headway for peace to succeed, Israel has to make way, settlement or peace. So far, the Israeli government has chosen settlements.”

Meanwhile, British Foreign Minister David Miliband is scheduled to arrive in Amman on Tuesday.

The British official will hold talks with several Jordanian officials on the prospects of peace in the Middle East and means to enhance bilateral cooperation, a statement issued by the British embassy in Amman indicated.

Miliband will hold a press conference at 4:30pm on Wednesday at the residence of the British ambassador in Amman to give a briefing on the results of his visit.