Israel PM meets Jordan king in push for direct peace talks
Ahmad Khatib
AMMAN, Ahmad Khatib- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met King Abdullah II on a surprise visit to Jordan on Tuesday as he tries to convince Palestinian leader Mahmud Abbas to upgrade Middle East peace talks.
The Israeli-Jordanian summit came a day after Abbas also held talks in Amman and as the Palestinian leader prepares for an Arab League meeting on whether to resume direct peace negotiations which were halted in December 2008.
"They also discussed ways to create the right environment for launching direct and serious peace talks between the Palestinians and Israel."
A senior official told AFP that "the meeting lasted for more than two hours during which the two men discussed in a clear and straightforward way measures that can be taken to achieve progress in the peace process."
Netanyahu's office said the two leaders discussed "the need to ensure direct, serious and effective negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians that would address all final-status issues."
The visit came three months after King Abdullah told The Wall Street Journal that Netanyahu's actions over the past year had brought relations between their countries to a new low.
On Monday, Abbas met with the king and denied that the Palestinians were hindering the start of direct talks with Israel after Netanyahu said they were dragging their feet.
The latest exchange indicated a lingering gap between the two sides despite months of US shuttle diplomacy and repeated calls from President Barack Obama for the resumption of direct talks.
On Thursday, the Arab League was to hold a meeting in Cairo at which Abbas was to discuss the US-mediated indirect talks with Israel that started in May and to consider whether to upgrade to direct negotiations.
The Palestinian leader has repeatedly demanded that Israel first halt Jewish settlement construction and agree to its 1967 borders as the basis of negotiations.
Chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat said on Tuesday after Abbas met with Spanish Foreign Minister Miguel Angel Moratinos in Amman that Israel "holds the key" to direct negotiations.
"We call on the Israeli government that holds the key ... to open the gate for these direct negotiations by accepting the terms of reference of two states, based on the 1967 borders" he told reporters.
Netanyahu and King Abdullah, whose countries have a 1994 peace treaty, last met on May 14, 2009, when the Israeli prime minister also made a surprise visit to Amman, six weeks after taking office.
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