Jordan urges US to support Mideast peace process

Jordanian King Abdullah II on Tuesday urged US to support Mideast peace process and help Palestinians and Israelis to reach a just resolution, the official Petra News Agency reported.

The king made the remarks when met James Wolfensohn, the international special envoy to help coordinate Israel's planned withdrawal from the Gaza Strip and to spearhead reconstruction efforts once the Palestinians take over the area.

The roadmap peace plan constitutes the real opportunity to achieve peace in Middle East, King Abdullah was quoted as saying, stressing that an independent Palestinian state forms the foundation for the just and comprehensive peace in the region.

He also demanded the international communities to sustain Palestinian leadership's efforts aimed at construct their institutions and promote the economic growth.

Wolfensohn, on his part, highlighted Jordanian role in consolidating the real peace in the region.

Wolfensohn was named on April 14 to the new position after retiring from the World Bank, when US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice made the announcement on behalf of the quartet of Middle East peace mediators -- the United States, the European Union, Russia and the United Nations.

Wolfensohn's mission would include reviving the Palestinian economy after the withdrawal, as well as helping decide the fate of Israeli housing blocks and other "assets that will be left behind" when Israel evacuates all 21 settlements in Gaza and four of 120 settlements in the West Bank.