Jordan's King Abdullah seeks bigger US peace push

AMMAN, Jan 14 (Reuters) US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice began talks in Amman today with Jordan's King Abdullah on how to revive Israeli-Palestinian peace efforts, officials said.

They said the monarch, who was encouraged by the US administration's determination to embark on an another accelerated drive to push stalled negotiations, will lobby for a stronger US role to promote West Asia peace.

''His Majesty will push for a bigger US effort to reach a final settlement based on a two-state solution, an independent Palestinian state alongside a secure Israel,'' said one official.

Rice promised moderate Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas today a bigger American push towards a Palestinian state and said she would focus on accelerating the stalled ''road map'' peace plan.

Israeli officials said Washington was exploring several options, including the creation of a Palestinian state with temporary borders along the route of the barrier Israel is building in and around the West Bank, an idea rejected by Abbas.

Rice, on her eighth trip to the region during her two years as secretary of state, offered no details on how Washington would accelerate the peace process.

Washington is under pressure from European and Arab allies to get more involved in resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Peace talks collapsed in 2000.

Rice met top Israeli ministers yesterday and will meet Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert in Jerusalem tomorrow.

The three-stage road map peace plan has not moved past the first stage because of the failure of the Israelis and the Palestinians to meet their obligations -- Israel is supposed to halt settlement building in the West Bank while Palestinians must dismantle militant groups.

The second stage outlines a Palestinian state with provisional borders.

Rice said all of the road map's requirements should be fulfilled but she did not rule out jumping to the next stage to try to create new momentum.

Rice is seeking Arab help to bolster Abbas and to stabilise Iraq during a trip that will include stops in Jordan, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait as well as Germany and Britain.

REUTERS AB RAI2302