Jordan's King Abdullah II and Israeli acting Foreign Minister Shlomo Ben Ami agreed Monday that time was running out for peace efforts between Israel and the Palestinians, with the Israeli official saying it was facing its "last shot".
"His Majesty stressed that the time element is very important at this decivise moment in the peace process," Jordanian Foreign Minister Abdel Ilah al-Khatib said after Abdullah met Ben Ami.
Another official stressed that Abdullah "called for increased efforts to be made by all concerned parties, particularly the United States, to push forward the peace process towards a comprehensive and fair settlement based on international legislation."
Ben Ami conferred separately with Abdullah over luncheon at the king's private residence and with Khatib, on the second leg of a tour of Egypt and Jordan, Israel's Arab partners in peace.
"We conveyed to his majesty our sense that these are crucial moments in the peace process. In fact we are facing what can be defined as the last shot of the peace process," he told a news conference before returning home.
"We don't have an excess of time," he warned.
"We -- the two parties -- have gone a long way towards a possible compromise. We feel this is the moment for decisions by leaders, tough decisions," he added.
He said he briefed leaders in Cairo and Amman on the latest developments but did not go into specifics.
"In both Egypt and Jordan we shared our views. We also listened carefully to what our friends had to say, and we do it because we know Egypt and Jordan are key regional players and have much to say in creating the right conditions for a reasonable and fair deal between Israel and the Palestinians," Ben Ami said.
A meeting between Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak and Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat to help push forward peace efforts "will definitely take place", Ben Ami said, adding however he was uncapable of providing a time or date.
Palestinian sources said earlier that such a summit would be held later Monday.
Earlier in Cairo Ben Ami had separate talks with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and Foreign Minister Amr Mussa and said Israel was pushing for a framework agreement with the Palestinians which would include Jerusalem.
"I hope we will be in a position where in the coming weeks we will have a clear idea whether or not we have a framework agreement," he said, suggesting that Israel hoped to reach an accord before US presidential elections in November.
The United States is the key sponsor of the peace process and President Bill Clinton has made concentrated efforts to seek a peace treaty between Israel and the Palestinians during his tenure which ends early next year.
Senior Palestinian official Mahmud Abbas preceded Ben Ami to the Jordanian capital on Saturday, where he also briefed Khatib on the latest moves to secure a Palestinian-Israeli peace deal -- AMMAN (AFP)
© 2000 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
