His Majesty King Abdullah on Thursday stressed that the pursuit of peace and stability in the Middle East, especially the resolution of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, is a matter of international security.

Speaking at the Chicago Council on Global Affairs, King Abdullah highlighted the vital role the US plays as a partner in the Middle East peace process, noting that "the two-state solution [to] the Israeli-Palestinian problem is in the national security interest of the United States."

"You are committed to Iraq at this stage, you are committed to Afghanistan; there are other hot spots coming out,” he said. “A lot of it is related to the core issue, which is the Israeli-Palestinian one. So if this problem continues, none of us is safe… and the threat to Jordan is, I think, as much as it is to the United States and other parts of the world."

Reiterating the urgent need to invigorate the stagnant peace process, King Abdullah warned that the lack of progress towards a comprehensive resolution of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict increases the likelihood of crises in the region. The King warned that another war is "a very strong possibility" if the status quo persists.

“Whenever there… is a lull in the peace process, then there are others out there that take advantage of that to create mischief,” he said. “What we don't want is the possibility of a crisis happening between Gaza and Israel, between Lebanon and Israel or Iran and Israel. These things do happen when there is an absence of a process [that is] moving forward.”

The King emphasised the need to “keep hope alive”, commending US President Barack Obama's commitment to solving the Palestinian-Israeli conflict on the basis of a two-state solution that guarantees the Palestinians' right to an independent and viable state on their national soil.

Acknowledging that the US administration has many other issues to contend with, he expressed hope that US Special Envoy to the Middle East George Mitchell would return to the region soon and would succeed at obtaining the needed engagement from both the Palestinians and Israelis so that negotiations could proceed constructively.

The King's talk at the Chicago council followed a several-day working visit in Washington DC, during which he attended the Nuclear Security Summit and met with Obama and other senior US officials.

Commenting on the summit, King Abdullah praised the American and Russian commitment to address the issue of nuclear security, and stressed the importance of international cooperation in keeping nuclear weapons out of the hands of terrorists.

King Abdullah also reaffirmed Jordan's support for the Palestinian National Authority as the legitimate representative of the Palestinian people, expressing confidence in Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Prime Minister Salam Fayyad and stressed the mandate of the PA to negotiate with Israel.

Asked whether the absence of a unity government between Fateh and Hamas is a hindrance to the peace process, the King said: “If we start to use the excuse of reconciliation then that's an excuse not to get to the peace table, which is something I don't think we can afford at this time.”

With regards to the recent Iraqi elections and the upcoming drawdown of US forces from Iraq, the King said he believes Iraq is moving in the right direction.

“I believe you have to have faith in the Iraqi people. I think they've come a long way in the past couple of years,” he said. “At the end of the day, it's the Iraqis that will be the ones that will be realistic in their appraisal of what the American role is inside of Iraq.”

Jordan and other countries in the region have a lot of work ahead of them in facing the challenges in the Middle East today, the King noted, again stressing the importance of resolving the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, calling it “the most important issue in the Middle East”.

Pointing out that 50 per cent of people in the Middle East are under the age of 18, the King said: “These are young men and women looking for opportunities and looking for jobs in the Middle East. And if we don't solve the political problems of the region, that's a time bomb waiting to go off.”

Jordan, he added, is working to support and utilize its younger generation by strengthening the middle class and moving ahead with political, social and economic reforms, stressing. However, he said, these tasks are made more difficult by the persistent absence of peace.

“When there's peace, the economic dividends for all of us are huge,” he said. “We need that peace if we're going to take care of this large, young generation that is looking for, like all young people around the world, a chance at a good life and a chance to have an opportunity.”

During a dinner banquet with members of the council in honour of His Majesty, King Abdullah underlined the need for concerted international efforts to achieve peace, "as the alternative is more violence and conflict for which everyone will pay a price."