His Majesty King Abdullah on Thursday held talks in Cairo with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak that focused on regional developments and bilateral ties.

Later, at a meeting at Cairo International Airport, King Abdullah briefed Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on the outcome of his meeting with Mubarak.

During the brief visit to Cairo, the King exchanged with the Egyptian president views on the steps that should be taken to create a proper environment to launch serious and effective peace negotiations that guarantee the establishment of an independent Palestinian state, with East Jerusalem as its capital, on Palestinian national soil as soon as possible.

The King and Mubarak stressed the need to intensify international efforts to achieve peace in the Middle East on the basis of the two-state solution, which, they said, is the path towards peace and stability in the region.

King Abdullah and the Egyptian leader also called for solid inter-Arab coordination at this critical stage, calling on Arabs to unify their positions on the various challenges facing common Arab interests.

The two leaders underlined the importance of coordination at the bilateral level regarding issues of common concern.

Present at the talks were Prime Minister Samir Rifai, Royal Court Chief Nasser Lozi, King's Adviser Ayman Safadi, Foreign Minister Nasser Judeh and Director of the General Intelligence Department Lt. General Mohammad Raqqad, along with Egypt's Premier Ahmad Nazif and Foreign Minister Ahmad Abul Gheit.

Also on Thursday, the King held separate talks with Abbas that focused on the latest developments in the efforts to resolve the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.

During the meeting the King, who returned home later in the day, briefed Abbas on the outcome of his meeting with Mubarak and the ongoing diplomatic efforts to overcome obstacles to peace efforts. He stressed Jordan's support for Palestinian efforts to establish an independent state on their national soil and restore their legal rights.

The meeting was attended by Rifai, Lozi, Safadi, Judeh and Raqqad.

Present at the meeting from the Palestinian side were Palestinian chief negotiator Saeb Erekat, member of the Fateh Central Committee Azzam Ahmad and the Palestinian presidential spokesman, Nabil Abu Rdainah.