Armitaj's talks with King Abdullah concentrate on terrorism, Iraq

The US under secretary of state Richard Armitaj met in Amman yesterday with the Jordanian king Abdullah and their talks concentrated on the war against terrorism and achieving "stability" in Iraq.

Officials in Amman said that Armitaj is holding talks in Jordan on security issues relating to the American war against " terrorism" and ways of giving the American support to Jordan. One Jordanian official said that " Armitaj discussed bilateral issues, the war on terrorism, and the efforts made by Jordan and Washington to achieve stability in Iraq occupy the priority." The spokesman for the US Department Of State, Richard Boucher, said that Washington appreciates " Jordan's support and friendship. we welcome this opportunity to strengthen the already strong bilateral relations."

The Jordanian official news agency quoted Abdullah as saying that " the continued Israeli practices and the increase of the pace of violence in the Palestinian territories and installing the wall of separation constitute a bulwark before the resumption of the negotiations." Abdullah called for " preparing a positive atmosphere " to bring back the Palestinian and Israeli sides to the table of negotiations.

Sources at the Jordanian royal court also said that the talks also dealt with the situation in Iraq especially after the authority handover. The sources added that the talks pertaining to the peace process concentrated on means of reviving peace negotiations on the Roadmap principles.

Armitaj is leaving Jordan today. It is expected he will be visiting Iraq, according to one American official.