His Majesty King Abdullah II today expressed Jordan's strong support for the planned international meeting on the Middle East.

Speaking during a meeting with US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice in London, the King said he was encouraged to hear the progress achieved during Secretary Rice's talks in the region.

King Abdullah expressed hope that the meeting would mark a major milestone towards the establishment of an independent Palestinian state in the near future.

The King welcomed Rice's latest tour of the region and emphasized the importance of achieving a positive outcome at the planned Annapolis meeting later this autumn, which would help the Palestinians and Israelis reach agreement on all related final status issues, including the issues of Jerusalem and refugees.

His Majesty said that Secretary Rice's efforts during her tour in the region were encouraging and reflected the US administration's commitment to achieve a peace settlement that would meet the aspirations of Palestinian people to establish their own independent state.

The King told Secretary Rice that the peoples of the region hope that the anticipated meeting will be a turning point in the history of the conflict by directly addressing the issues at its core. King Abdullah stressed that the region cannot endure more instability and that the people of the region aspire to real and tangible progress on the ground. He said the opportunity to achieve peace and enhance security and stability in the Middle East should not be missed.

His Majesty also urged Israel to show more political flexibility and to cease any activity that could raise tensions. Israel, he added, should do more to help improve the living conditions of Palestinians and alleviate the social and economic hardships in the Palestinian areas.

He also urged the US administration and the international community to support the Palestinian Authority, notably by strengthening Palestinian institutions, saying this would reflect positively on the peace process.

Rice briefed the King on the outcome of her talks this week with Palestinian, Arab and Israeli leaders as well as the administration's preparations for the international peace meeting.

She commended King Abdullah for his efforts to advance regional peace, as well as Jordan's commitment to working with Palestinians, Israelis and the international community to foster regional security and stability.