His Majesty King Abdullah on Thursday reiterated Jordan's opposition to Israeli settlement activity on Palestinian lands, stressing that such activity is a “stark violation” of agreements reached at the US-hosted Annapolis peace meeting.

King Abdullah told Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert during their talks in Aqaba that settlements, Jerusalem and refugees are key issues that should be addressed with clarity and in accordance with international resolutions and agreements.

The King urged Israel to adopt serious and practical policies that reflect its stated desire for peace and that would guarantee a sustainable and successful peace process. King Abdullah warned that a stalled peace process threatens the region's future and its security and stability.

Achieving peace requires all concerned parties to honour their commitments within a clear mechanism and specific timeline in order to reach a comprehensive settlement to the Arab-Israeli conflict, King Abdullah said.

His Majesty called for seizing the opportunity to achieve peace that was provided by the Annapolis peace meeting last November. Negotiations, the King added, should proceed according to agreements reached and commitments made by the Palestinians and Israel at the meeting, and both sides should receive international support.

The King's meeting with Olmert was part of contacts to support Palestinian-Israeli negotiations. It came a day after his talks with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.

The King expressed hope that the upcoming visit to the region by the US president would encourage the Palestinians and Israel to reach agreement and implement the commitments they made at the peace meeting.