ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER EHUD OLMERT WILL MEET KING ABDULLAH II HERE ON THURSDAY FOR TALKS ON REVIVING THE STALLED MIDEAST PEACE PROCESS, JORDANIAN AND ISRAELI OFFICIALS SAID TUESDAY. THE ISRAELI LEADER'S TRIP WILL BE HIS SECOND TO AN ARAB COUNTRY SINCE TAKING OFFICE IN MAY, AND HIS SECOND MEETING WITH AN ARAB HEAD OF STATE THIS WEEK. OLMERT HELD TALKS WITH EGYPTIAN PRESIDENT HOSNI MUBARAK IN SHARMEL-SHEIK, EGYPT, ON SUNDAY. OLMERT WILL MEET THE KING IN AMMAN, SAID ISRAELI EMBASSY PRESS ATTACHE JACOB RABER. JORDANIAN GOVERNMENT SPOKESMAN NASSER JUDEH TOLD THE ASSOCIATED PRESS THE KING WILL PRESS FOR ISRAEL TO RESTART TALKS WITH THE PALESTINIANS, AND TO PUT ASIDE THOUGHTS OF UNILATERAL ACTION. JUDEH SAID ABDULLAH WILL ARTICULATE TO OLMERT JORDAN'S POSITION THAT «PALESTINIANS AND ISRAELIS MUST RETURN TO THE NEGOTIATING TABLE.» PALESTINIAN-ISRAELI PEACE TALKS BROKE OFF AMID VIOLENCE NEARLY SIX YEARS AGO. ABDULLAH, A KEY ARAB ALLY FOR THE U.S AND A STAUNCH PROPONENT OF A PALESTINIAN-ISRAELI PEACE SETTLEMENT, CONVEYED THE SAME MESSAGE TO U.S. PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH IN TALKS WITH HIM LAST WEEK IN WASHINGTON. THE JORDANIAN MONARCH WANTS ISRAEL AND THE PALESTINIANS TO RENEW THEIR COMMITMENT TO THE ROAD MAP _ AN INTERNATIONALLY BACKED PEACE PLAN THAT ENVISIONS AN END TO PALESTINIAN-ISRAELI VIOLENCE AND THE CREATION OF AN INDEPENDENT PALESTINIAN STATE. JUDEH SAID THE KING WILL REPEAT THAT CALL DURING HIS MEETING WITH OLMERT. ABDULLAH WILL ALSO URGE THE ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER TO «REFRAIN FROM (UNDERTAKING) UNILATERAL ACTIONS THAT COULD PREJUDICE THE OUTCOME OF FINAL STATUS NEGOTIATIONS» BETWEEN ISRAEL AND PALESTINIANS, JUDEH ADDED REFERRING TO OLMERT'S VISION OF A TWO-STATE SOLUTION. «HIS MAJESTY WILL ALSO REAFFIRM THE NECESSITY OF EASING THE SUFFERING OF THE PALESTINIAN PEOPLE AND THAT THEY SHOULD NOT BE VICTIM OF ANY UNILATERAL ISRAELI ACTION,» THE JORDANIAN SPOKESMAN SAID.
