His Majesty King Abdullah said speculation on changing the Arab Peace Initiative "is very far from reality".

In an interview with The Times of London published Monday, King Abdullah also note that "a third of the world does not recognise Israel”.

King Abdullah said: "Obama is committed to the two-state solution now. He feels the urgency of the need to move today."

Starting serious negotiations is pending an announcement by the US administration of a plan to realise peace, said the King, adding that the American plan will be more apparent after a meeting between Obama and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

In response to a question that there are some who doubt the feasibility of talks, following the dismal outcome of the Annapolis meeting and the Middle East roadmap, King Abdullah said: "Four or five decades! There are two major factors. We are sick and tired of the process. We are talking about direct negotiations. That is a major point. We are approaching this in a regional context, you could say, through the Arab peace proposal.”

"The Americans see this as we do and I think the Europeans. Britain is playing a very vital proactive role, more than I have ever seen in the 10 years of my experience in bringing people together," King Abdullah said.

The King added: "What we are talking about is not Israelis and Palestinians sitting at the table, but Israelis sitting with Palestinians, Israelis sitting with Syrians, Israelis sitting with Lebanese."

In the interview, King Abdullah stressed that the question for the Israelis is: “Do they want to stay fortress Israel for the next 10 years? The calamity that that would bring to all of us, including the West?"

The King said the Arab-Israeli conflict had become a global problem.

"I think we're going to have to do a lot of shuttle diplomacy, get people to a table in the next couple of months to get a solution," King Abdullah told The Times.

On a question if he is front-loading an offer to the Israelis that says if a deal is done, these are people who will be making peace with you, whom you will be having embassies with and whom you will be trading with, the King said: "If you consider that a third of the world does not recognise Israel - 57 nations of the United Nations do not recognise Israel, a third of the world - their international relations can't be all that good. More countries recognise North Korea than Israel."

Stressing that the future comprehensive peace will not be restricted, the King said: "The future is Morocco in the Atlantic to Indonesia in the Pacific."

Asked on reports that the Americans have asked him to clarify certain parts of the Arab initiative, in particular the status of Jerusalem and the future of Palestinian refugees, the King said: "I was very specific in carrying a letter on behalf of the Arab League highlighting the Arab peace proposal, their desire to work with President Obama to make this successful..."

The King said speculation about alternative proposals came from "people with a lot of extra time on their hands. The speculation is very far from reality."

Commenting on the presence of a right-wing Israeli government, the King said: "Just because there is a right-wing government in Israel does not mean that we should chuck in the towel."

"I think the international atmosphere is not going to be in favour of wasting time; it is going to be very much ‘we are getting sick and tired of this'," the King said.

"Here is one final opportunity. If the only player in this equation between the West, the Arabs and the Muslims that is not being helpful and is against peace is Israel, then let's call it for what it is. Let Israel understand that the world sees Israeli policy for what it is," he added.

Asked on how he dealt with Netanyahu before, the King said: "I had three months with the overlap [after the death of King Hussein]. These were probably the least pleasant of my 10 years. However, a lot has happened in the last 10 years and we are looking at the bigger picture, and looking for what's best for Israel, which I believe is the two-state solution."

King Abdullah emphasised that the critical juncture will be what comes out of the Obama-Netanyahu meeting.

The King said if there is procrastination by Israel on the two-state solution or there is no clear American vision for how this is going to play out in 2009, then all the tremendous credibility that Obama has worldwide and in this region will evaporate overnight if nothing comes out in May.

"All eyes will be looking to Washington in May. If there are no clear signals and no clear directives to all of us, then there will be a feeling that this is just another American government that is going to let us all down," said the King.

He added that there has been a flurry of activity in the six weeks since the Doha summit.

"I am sure President Obama is keeping his cards close to his chest until he hears what Prime Minister Netanyahu has to say… He is committed to the two-state solution now. He feels the urgency of the need to move today," said the King.

Asked if peace efforts do not succeed, the King said: "We're going to have a war."

"Leading up to the Lebanese war, I said there was going to be a conflict with Israel. I said it four or five months before. I said it would happen either in Lebanon or Gaza. It was Lebanon. In November, I said there would be another war in Lebanon or Gaza. I thought it would happen when Obama was in office but was surprised by it happening a month earlier," he said.

"If we delay our peace negotiations, then there's going to be another conflict between Arabs or Muslims and Israel in the next 12 to 18 months," the King said.

"So that is the alternative - to have another round of war, and death and destruction. But its implications now resonate far beyond the Middle East region," said the King.

In response to a question on the Pope Benedict XVI's visit to Jordan, the King said: "I think it's gone extremely well. I said to His Holiness that this is the right time. You're coming here on a spiritual pilgrimage with a message of peace… as a signal of hope for what we're planning to do on the political aspect. It is all part of one major effort. This is a critical crossroads that we need to take advantage of."