King Abdullah Of Jordan Meets With President George W. Bush 

WASHINGTON - The following statement was released today by the Embassy of Jordan:

During a brief visit to the United States, His Majesty King Abdullah II met with U.S. President George W. Bush in Washington on Monday, May 29, 2006, to discuss bilateral relations as well as other relevant regional developments.

His Majesty expressed gratitude for the continued support provided by the United States and thanked the President for considering additional assistance to Jordan 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 process forward. King Abdullah will be meeting with elected Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, as he regularly does, and separately with Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert in the next few weeks.

King Abdullah also welcomed the formation of the Iraqi government as a step forward in establishing peace, stability and security and emphasized the need for an inclusive political process in Iraq. “Jordan, for its, part will continue to support the Iraqi Government and the Iraqi people in achieving their aspirations,” the king said.

Later this week, His Majesty will head to Germany for talks with Chancellor Angela Merkel to discuss bilateral ties and the latest developments in the region including the need to continue assistance to the Palestinian people.