Israeli PM in talks with Jordan over stalled peace process

ISRAELI Prime Minister Ehud Olmert made a surprise visit to Jordan yesterday for talks with King Abdullah II on ways to revive Middle East peacemaking.

Abdullah was offering to host a meeting in Jordan to help resolve Palestinian infighting between the Hamas and Fatah movements currently waging fierce gun battles in Gaza City.

Olmert was invited by Abdullah, who wants to see Israel resume peace negotiations with the Palestinians, a senior palace official said.

The US-allied monarch has said a return to Arab-Israeli negotiations is vital to curb rising extremism in the Middle East, fuelled by the conflict in Iraq. Abdullah has called on Washington to do more on reviving the stalled peace process.

Abdullah urged Olmert to “engage in negotiations with the Palestinians so that an appropriate framework could be found to relaunch the peace process,” a palace statement said, adding that the king told Olmert that “in order to foster confidence in the peace process, it was critical to show people on both sides of the conflict that there are credible partners for peace”.