AMMAN: US President George W. Bush discussed with Jordan's King Abdullah II developments in the Middle East and efforts to push forward the peace process ahead of his upcoming visit to the region, a Royal Palace statement said Friday. In a telephone call to Abdullah, Bush briefed the monarch on the objectives of his trip to the Middle East, including to support the Palestinian and the Israeli sides in their efforts to reach a final compromise to end the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. The White House confirmed the telephone call took place, describing the conversation as covering the president's trip, the Israel-Palestinian issue as well as other bilateral issues. Bush is expected to arrive in Israel Jan. 9 and will also visit the West Bank, Kuwait, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Egypt. The statement said Abdullah stressed on "the vital role that the US is playing to help the Palestinians and the Israelis and push them to reach lasting solutions to the final status issues which would lead to the establishment of an independent Palestinian state on all the Palestinian soil in the West bank and Gaza.'' Bush's phone came one day after Abdullah met with Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert who expressed willingness to move forward in negotiations with the Palestinians with the aim of reaching a final settlement to the conflict. Abdullah also met with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Wednesday as part of his effort to push the two sides to the negotiation table. Abdullah expressed hope that the visit to the region by Bush would encourage the Palestinians and Israel to implement commitments they made at Annapolis. -AP
