JORDAN'S KING ABDULLAH II, IN A MEETING SUNDAY WITH PRESIDENT MAHMOUD ABBAS, URGED PALESTINIANS AND ISRAELIS TO RENOUNCE VIOLENCE AND RESUME PEACEMAKING. IN A SEPARATE MESSAGE TO PALESTINIANS, ABDULLAH CALLED FOR AN END TO FEUDING BETWEEN ABBAS' FATAH FACTION AND HAMAS, WHICH HOLDS A MAJORITY IN THE PALESTINIAN PARLIAMENT. ABDULLAH TOLD THE PALESTINIAN PRESIDENT HE WAS CONCERNED ABOUT «SECURITY AND ECONOMIC DETERIORATION IN THE PALESTINIAN TERRITORIES AND CALLED ON ALL SIDES ... TO UNIFY RANKS AND OVERCOME THE DIFFERENT CHALLENGES FACING THE PALESTINIAN PEOPLE,» ACCORDING TO A STATEMENT FROM JORDAN'S ROYAL PALACE. THE KING ALSO BRIEFED ABBAS ABOUT HIS JUNE 8 MEETING IN AMMAN WITH ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER EHUD OLMERT, THE STATEMENT SAID. ABBAS IS EXPECTED TO MEET WITH OLMERT IN THE COMING DAYS, THE ASSOCIATED PRESS REPORTED. ABDULLAH STRESSED THE IMPORTANCE OF «CEASING MILITARY ESCALATION, IN ORDER TO HAVE CALM PREVAIL BETWEEN PALESTINIANS AND ISRAELIS AND TO CREATE A SUITABLE CLIMATE FOR BUILDING CONFIDENCE BETWEEN BOTH SIDES AND ENSURE A SWIFT RETURN TO THE NEGOTIATING TABLE,» THE STATEMENT SAID. ABDULLAH LATER ARRIVED IN THE EGYPTIAN SINAI RESORT OF SHARM EL-SHEIK, WHERE HE OPENED TALKS WITH EGYPTIAN PRESIDENT HOSNI MUBARAK, JORDAN'S STATE PETRA NEWS AGENCY REPORTED. IT SAID THE ARAB LEADERS WOULD DISCUSS WAYS TO CALM TENSIONS IN THE PALESTINIAN TERRITORIES AND ENSURE THAT BADLY NEEDED INTERNATIONAL AID REACHES THE PALESTINIAN PEOPLE. IN HIS TALKS WITH ABBAS, ABDULLAH SAID RESPONSIBILITY RESTED ON THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY TO «ENSURE THE FLOW OF INTERNATIONAL ASSISTANCE TO THE PALESTINIAN TERRITORIES TO PREVENT A HUMANITARIAN CRISIS THERE.»
