Jordan's king urges Rice to push peace process

AMMAN, Jan 15 (Reuters) King Abdullah of Jordan warned US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice that failure to get Middle East peace talks moving quickly could lead to worse violence, officials said.

They said the king was encouraged by the Bush administration's determination to embark on a new drive to resume the stalled negotiations, and urged Rice to promote a stronger US role in Middle East peacemaking.

''The passage of time without achieving tangible and real progress based on specific steps to activate the road map in the near future will only lead to widening the cycle of violence,'' a palace statement quoted the king as telling Rice yesterday.

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

Abdullah told Rice peace talks should aim at a ''viable Palestinian state enjoying full sovereignty'', and said a just and permanent solution to the Palestinians' plight was the key to resolving the broader Arab-Israeli conflict.

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 Abbas has rejected.

WASHINGTON UNDER PRESSURE 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 on Saturday and will meet Prime Minister Ehud Olmert in Jerusalem today.

The three-stage peace plan has not moved past the first stage because neither side has met its 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 the road map 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 stabilise Iraq during a trip that will include stops in Jordan, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait as well as Germany and Britain.

Abdullah said US support for Abbas was crucial to ensure a strong Palestinian partner in any future talks to reach a final peace settlement with the Israelis.

The king, a staunch US ally, also told Rice that Iraq's disaffected Sunnis must be drawn into the US-backed political process to ensure the country's stability.

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