His Majesty King Abdullah on Tuesday held talks with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on efforts to ensure the success of direct talks scheduled to begin in Washington Thursday.

The two leaders expressed hope that the negotiations would lead to a “swift and effective” solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict on the basis of the two-state solution.

King Abdullah emphasised that Jordan will continue to make every effort possible to help the brotherly Palestinians realise their legitimate rights, especially their right to establish their independent state on Palestinian national soil and achieve peace within a regional context based on the Arab Peace Initiative and agreed on terms of reference.

The King and Abbas stressed that the two-state formula ensures the emergence of a Palestinian state living in peace and security side-by-side with Israel and is the only way to bring about peace and stability in the region.

Present at the meeting were Royal Court Chief Nasser Lozi, King's Adviser Ayman Safadi and Foreign Minister Nasser Judeh, and senior Palestinian officials.

On Sunday, King Abdullah flew to Washington to take part in the launch of direct peace talks between the Palestinians and Israelis upon an invitation from US President Barack Obama.

During the visit, the King will hold talks with the US president and attend a meeting held by Obama with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Quartet representative Tony Blair ahead of the launch of the direct Palestinian-Israeli negotiations on Thursday.