U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Monday met with Jordan's King Abdullah on the sidelines of a high-level meeting on the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and thanked the King for his role in Palestinian state-building efforts. The two also discussed the recent launch of direct peace talks between the Palestinian Authority and Israel, Ban's media office said. King Abdullah was in Washington earlier this month for the launch of the talks. The U.N. chief also stressed the support of the diplomatic Quartet-comprised by the United Nations, the United States, the European Union, and Russia-to achieve “a final agreement within a year.”
