Jordan`s king meets Mitchell, calls for immediate resumption of peace talks

Jordan's King Abdullah called for the immediate resumption of Israeli-Palestinian peace talks following a meeting with President Barack Obama's new Mideast peace envoy on Saturday.

"It's important not to lose time, and to move immediately to resume talks," Abdullah said. He said the negotiations should be based on international agreements and incorporate the Arab peace initiative as the means to ensure security for all in the region.

Washington dispatched envoy George Mitchell to the Middle East a week after Obama took office, signaling the new U.S. administration's eagerness to get directly involved in peacemaking.

Mitchell has already met with Israeli, Palestinian and Egyptian leaders on his trip and will hold talks with Saudi officials in Riyadh on Sunday in a bid to consolidate the cease-fire in Gaza.

On Saturday, a rocket fired by Palestinian militants from Gaza exploded in a southern Israeli town. Though it caused no damage or injuries, it underlined the fragility of the truce.

After meeting Mitchell, Jordan's King Abdullah II said he insisted very serious negotiations should start on basis of a two-state solution as soon as possible, according to a statement issued by the royal palace.

The plan, proposed by Saudi Arabia, offers Israel collective Arab recognition in exchange for withdrawal from territory it occupied in the 1967 war, the establishment of a Palestinian state with east Jerusalem as its capital and a just solution to the Palestinian refugee problem. Israel has said the initiative could be a starting point for discussion.

Earlier Saturday Mitchell met with the Jordanian Foreign Minister Salah Bashir and said that the administration of U.S. President Barack Obama would give "priority" to the Middle East peace process, according to a Foreign Ministry statement.

"The U.S. envoy asserted that the U.S. administration is giving priority to the Middle East and to a serious effort towards the resumption of the peace process between the Palestinians and Israelis in the run-up for the two-state solution," the statement said.

"Bashir underlined the necessity for effective negotiations to resolve the Palestinian-Israeli conflict as a sole way for achieving security and peace in the region," it added.

The Jordanian foreign minister urged a "collaboration of world efforts with a view to starting serious negotiations that aim at reaching peace based on the two-state solution, the Arab peace initiative and the resolutions of international legitimacy," a reference to the relevant United Nations resolutions.