His Majesty King Abdullah II received on Tuesday the Iraqi Vice President Taha Yassin Ramadan who delivered to His Majesty a message from Iraqi President Saddam Hussein dealing with Iraq's position toward US threat directed against it.

During the meeting which was attended by Chief of the Royal Court, the foreign minister as well as the Iraqi ambassador in Amman, King Abdullah reviewed efforts being exerted by Jordan regarding the Iraqi issue.

His Majesty noted Jordan's position which he expressed during his tours to the US and Europe and which calls for resolving the dispute through peaceful means. He also affirmed that Jordan is doing its utmost to avert Iraq a military strike which will have a negative impact on all the region's countries.

"Efforts should be geared toward finding a relevant mechanism for the return of international weapons inspectors to Iraq and the implementation of UN Security Council resolutions to defuse the crisis with a view to lift the sanctions imposed on Iraq," the King said. Talks during the meeting also touched on the Arab position towards threats against Iraq which was expressed during meetings of the Arab foreign ministers in Cairo last week.