His Majesty King Abdullah on Friday urged a renewed commitment to mutual respect between faiths and cultures, calling for a new global dialogue based on understanding and good will.

In a speech following the red-carpet welcome of visiting Pope Benedict XVI in the presence of Her Majesty Queen Rania, Royal family members, senior officials and officers and prominent Muslim and Christian leaders, King Abdullah said voices of provocation, ambitious ideologies of division, threaten unspeakable suffering.

"We must reject such a course for our world's future," he added.

"There is a strong basis for harmony between us. At one level, it is our simple, shared humanity…there is an even deeper basis for understanding… That basis is the commandment expressed in the Holy Scriptures of Muslim, Christian, and Jew: to love God, and love one's neighbour," His Majesty said.

Referring to the Amman Message and the Jordan-led Common Word Initiative, Pope Benedict XVI said: "I hope very much that this visit, and indeed all the initiatives designed to foster good relations between Christians and Muslims, will help us to grow in love for the Almighty and Merciful God, and in fraternal love for one another."

King Abdullah said upon receiving the Pope that it is necessary to end the Palestinian-Israeli conflict through a negotiated settlement, in order to fulfill the rights of Palestinians to freedom and statehood and the right of Israelis to security.

"Our shared values can make an important contribution in the Holy Land," the King said.

Stressing that Jerusalem is of a special concern for all, King Abdullah said: "Jordan and the Catholic Church both know the honour, and the responsibility, of serving as guardians and custodiansof holy places and religious sites in Jerusalem."

The King also underlined the urgency of protecting the holy sites in Jerusalem and preserving its identity, saying: "We must safeguard the Holy City as a place of worship for all."