Jordanian King Abdullah II met here today with United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon and urged the world community to engage heavily in peace efforts in the Middle East to find a just and lasting solution to the Palestinian issue, the core of the conflict in the region. The U.N. Chief arrived in Amman earlier in the day as part of a tour in the region to discuss efforts to kickstart peace talks between Palestinians and Israel, Jordan News Agency (Petra) reported. King Abdullah II briefed Ban on a series of meetings Jordan hosted recently between Palestinian and Israeli negotiators to create an atmosphere conducive to relaunching direct negotiations based on the two-state solution and international legitimacy resolutions. King Abdullah II reiterated Jordan's call for negotiations dealing with all final status issues and leading to an independent Palestinian state on 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital. Ban emphasized the importance of supporting the Palestinians' quest for freedom and justice, urging the sides to return to the negotiating table to bring about the two-state solution. During the meeting, King Abdullah II and the U.N. Secretary General tackled political change in the Arab world, particularly the situation in Syria and Arab League efforts to end the violence there.
