US envoy holds talks with Saudis

Mitchell is in Riyadh on final leg of regional tour aimed at reviving peace efforts.

King Abdullah George Mitchell
Mitchell held talks with the Jordanian monarch in Amman before he flew to Saudi Arabia [Reuters]

The US envoy has also visited Egypt, Jordan and Israel and held talks with Ehud Olmert, the Israeli prime minister, and Mahmoud Abbas, the Palestinian president.

Amman talks

Earlier on Saturday, Jordan’s King Abdullah II met Mitchell in Amman and urged Washington to resume its efforts to clinch a two-state settlement between Israel and the Palestinians.

King Abdullah II said after the meeting that he “insisted very serious negotiations should start on basis of a two-state solution as soon as possible.”

In depth

Profile: George Mitchell

“It’s important not to lose time, and to move immediately to resume talks,” Abdullah said, according to a statement issued by the royal palace.

The Jordanian king said the negotiations should be based on international agreements and incorporate the Arab peace initiative as the means to “ensure security for all in the region”.

The peace plan, proposed by Saudi Arabia, offers Israel collective Arab recognition in exchange for withdrawal from territory it occupied in the 1967 war, the establishment of a Palestinian state with east Jerusalem as its capital, and a just solution to the Palestinian refugee problem.

Israel has said the initiative could be a starting point for discussion.

Source: News Agencies