The New Nation - Internet Edition

AFP, Amman

Jordan's King Abdullah II told President George W. Bush on Saturday that there needs to be a clearer timetable for renewed peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians if they are to bear fruit. The king told Bush in a telephone call that there is a "need for the Palestinian-Israeli negotiations to proceed within clear mechanisms and a timeframe that would lead to the establishment of an independent Palestinian state," the palace said. He added that it was "important to sustain the present American and international momentum to advance peace." Bush, who is currently in the Gulf on the latest leg of a Middle East tour, had rung the king to brief him on his talks with Israeli and Palestinian leaders earlier in the week, the palace said. "The US president stressed his administration's commitment to end the Palestinian-Israeli conflict on the basis of a two-state solution," it added.