Jordan’s King Abdullah II today pressed the need to resolve the decades-long Palestinian-Israeli conflict amid renewed calls for peace during a crucial two-day visit by US President George Bush that also was set to include talks with Iraq’s prime minister.

French President Jacques Chirac today urged the international community to avoid sanctions on the Palestinians even if Hamas offers no clear, quick responses to demands that it renounce violence and recognise Israel.

Foreign ministers and diplomats from 21 Arab countries and the Palestinian Authority met in Cairo, Egypt, today to begin talks on reforming the 60-year-old Arab League and rewriting its charter.