His Majesty King Abdullah on Sunday received René van der Linden, president of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), who is on a visit to the Kingdom as part of a Middle East tour.

During the meeting, they discussed means to enhance ties between Jordan and PACE as well as developments in the region.

King Abdullah stressed Jordan's appreciation to the EU for it continued support for the Kingdom, highlighting the efforts Jordan is exerting to achieve sustainable development in all fields.

The King also underlined the importance of EU support for an international conference called for by US President George W. Bush, which will be held late this year to look into means to push forward the peace process.

King Abdullah said he highly valued the EU assistance to the Palestinians, adding that it was important to continue the provision of this aid to enhance their living standards.

For his part, Linden commended the King's continued efforts to bring about peace and stability in the region and reviewed PACE's position on several issues in the region.

He also invited King Abdullah to deliver a speech at the parliamentary assembly.

The Jordan Times