His Majesty King Abdullah II reviewed in the presence of Her Majesty Queen Rania Al Abdullah, His Royal Highness Crown Prince Hamzah Bin Al Hussein and His Royal Highness Prince Hashim Bin Al Hussein a number of local and regional issues before representatives of major US and international press institutions.

His Majesty affirmed Jordan`s keenness to find a solution to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, stressing the need to adopt a balanced approach that takes into consideration the human dimensions and aspirations of both parties.

He said that Palestinians are looking forward to the establishment of a viable state. The King also warned that if Palestinian President Yasser Arafat remains stranded then this might increase Palestinian extremism, for Arafat is a symbol of the Palestinian people.

His Majesty underlined the importance of amore active US role in the peace process, for nothing would be achieved without that.

He also warned against consequences of striking Iraq within the international campaign against terrorism.

On the local front, the King reviewed successes that have been achieved by Jordan over the past few years especially in the economic field. He said that the parliamentary elections will be held later this year and that they will be fair and transparent in line with principles of democracy and freedom that Jordan adheres to.