By NNN-KUNA
Amman : Jordanian King Abdullah II received a phone call from U.S. President George W. Bush Friday, according to a statement issued here by the Royal Hashemite Diwan.
The two leaders reviewed, over a telephone conversation, the latest developments of the situations in the Middle East, particularly the efforts to achieve fair and permanent peace in the region and push forward the peace process.
The two leaders also discussed Bush’s upcoming trip to Middle East, according to the statement. Bush briefed King Abdullah on the objectives of his visit which will be an opportunity to reaffirm the enduring commitment of the United States to reach final settlement for the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and help the two parties honor their commitments. King Abdullah reiterated the importance of the trip in enhancing the vital role of the United State to help the Palestinians and Israelis reach final settlement to their conflict.
Achieving peace requires all concerned parties to honour their commitments within a clear mechanism and specific timeline in order to ensure the establishment of a Palestinian state on the entire Palestinian territories and reach a comprehensive settlement to the Arab-Israeli conflict in line with international resolutions, road map and Arab Peace Initiative, the statement quoted King Abdullah as saying to Bush. The two leaders also dealt with the bilateral economic ties between the two countries.
King Abdullah expressed gratitude for United State for economic assistances it offersto Jordan which helped the Hashemite kingdom forge ahead with the implementation of various development programs.
President Bush, for his part, underlined the important role King Abdullah II plays to bring peace and stability to the region, and expressed keenness on constant consultation and cooperation with His Royal Majesty the King in this regard. In December the U.S. Whitehouse announced that Bush would start a tour of the Middle East in early January. The tour will take him to Kuwait, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Egypt.
The tour will take place one month after the Annapolis conference on peace in the Middle East. The conference gathered some 50 countries and international organizations on November 27 in Annapolis Maryland State.