AMMAN (JT) - His Majesty King Abdullah on Friday said that now is the time for the US to lead Middle East peace efforts, to ensure that no more time is wasted.
In a speech delivered at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies Friday, the Monarch said: "It begins with an effective peace plan for 2009 and beyond - a plan of negotiations that can achieve concrete results quickly."
To bring about peace, King Abdullah said: "There must be an end… to occupation and confrontation… to settlement building… to unilateral actions in Jerusalem."
Delivering the speech in the presence of Her Majesty Queen Rania and over 200 political, economic and media leaders in Washington, King Abdullah underlined the urgent need not to waste more opportunities, saying: "Time, my friends, is not on our side. Every day we lose makes the conflict much harder to resolve."
"We do not have time to engage in yet another open-ended process. We have seen what comes of process without progress. Every missed opportunity has alienated more people on both sides. Such a course increases distrust and difficulties and fuels those who seek to carry the parties down the path of confrontation," said the King.
King Abdullah said the two-state solution has been agreed by the parties and the entire international community, adding that for seven years, against all provocation, the landmark Arab Peace Initiative has held.
"The initiative lays out the parameters of a comprehensive settlement - ending the occupation... creating a Palestinian state... and providing security guarantees and normal relations for Israel," said the Monarch.
Also Friday, King Abdullah met with US Secretary of Defence Robert M. Gates and discussed means to enhance bilateral ties and exchange of expertise in defence fields.
King Abdullah and Gates also discussed developments in the Middle East and efforts to find a just settlement to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict on the basis of the two-state solution.
On Thursday, King Abdullah met with the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, chaired by Senator John Kerry (D-Mass.), in the presence of minority leader, Senator Richard Lugar (R-Ind.), where they discussed means to realise peace in the region and resolve the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.
Also Thursday, King Abdullah met with several leaders in the Senate, including Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY). They looked into means to bolster bilateral cooperation in different fields.
At Thursday's meetings, King Abdullah emphasised that the two-state solution is the best way to resolve the problems and challenges facing the Middle East.
The Monarch also voiced his appreciation for the Senate's support in developing Jordanian-American ties.
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