His Majesty King Abdullah on Sunday called for a clear timeline for resuming Palestinian-Israeli peace negotiations.

At a meeting with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, the King said the four-way Middle East summit in Sharm El Sheikh tomorrow must be seized as an opportunity to formulate a clear timeline for a return to negotiations.

King Abdullah and Abbas also discussed preparations for the summit, during which they will meet with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert.

The summit will discuss ways to support the Palestinian people, especially by lifting the siege on the Palestinians and the resumption of negotiations.

King Abdullah also called Olmert and stressed the need to begin final status negotiations, leading to an end to occupation to establish an independent Palestinian state in the West Bank and Gaza. The King expressed Jordan's full support for the Palestinian Authority as the legitimate representative of the Palestinians as well as for the Palestinian Authority's efforts to lift the siege on the Palestinian people, build national Palestinian institutions and move the peace process forward.

His Majesty said events in the Gaza Strip had dealt a significant blow to Palestinian unity.

The King also said that the Palestinian people have reached a critical juncture in their history.

Calling on the Palestinians to restore order and unity, King Abdullah said Jordan opposes the division of Palestinian society.

His Majesty urged the Arab and international communities to support the Palestinian people in every possible way and to intensify their efforts to advance the peace process towards a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

The King said the establishment of an independent Palestinian state on the West Bank and Gaza Strip was and continues to be a priority shared by both Jordanians and Palestinians.

King Abdullah added that Jordan will continue to back the Palestinian people's aspirations for freedom and independence.

Abbas, on his part, briefed the King on developments in the Palestinian territories following Hamas' takeover of the Gaza Strip.

The Jordan Times