Jordan King Abdullah to Obama: Speed up Mideast peace drive

Jordan's King Abdullah II on Monday urged US President Barack Obama to intensify efforts for achieving tangible progress towards the two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

The monarch made the remark during a telephone conversation which was initiated by Obama, according to a royal court statement.

The two leaders discussed "latest developments in the Middle East, particularly endeavours aimed at surmounting the obstacles that impede the resumption of serious and effective negotiations on the basis of the two-state solution," the statement said.

The telephone conversation came amid speculation that Arab countries were pressing Washington to guarantee that all outstanding issues would be tackled in the forthcoming negotiations, including settlements and the status of East Jerusalem which Israel captured from Jordan in the 1967 Middle East war.