His Majesty King Abdullah on Sunday reiterated that Jordan will continue rallying international support for peacemaking and help the Palestinian Authority control the Gaza Strip.



King Abdullah told Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas at a meeting in Amman that Israel's Gaza pullout should be followed by similar withdrawals from the West Bank in line with the roadmap to the Middle East peace process.



Abbas, who arrived Friday in Jordan on the first leg of a tour that was to take him to Egypt, France, Spain and the US, said he appreciated the Kingdom's support.



"We are in constant need of the King's efforts, which are important especially now after the Gaza pullout," Abbas said.



The two leaders discussed the latest developments in the Palestinian territories and ways in which Jordan could provide technical assistance, including training police officers and other security cadres.



They also talked about setting up a duty free area at one of the crossing bridges and facilitating entry of investors into the Palestinian territories from Jordan.



Abbas called on Jordan and other countries, namely the US, to pressure Israel to implement its obligations under the roadmap.



King Abdullah and Abbas also discussed a planned summit by the end of this month between the Palestinian leader and Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon.



The summit was scheduled to be held last week, but was called off at the last minute reportedly for lack of progress on removing some Israeli troops from the West Bank and releasing Palestinian prisoners. An October 2nd meeting between the two was cancelled after violence escalated.

The Jordan Times