Washington: King Abdullah of Jordan has told the US that it needs to increase its efforts to seek peace in the Middle East, warning that the “cycle of crisis'' was spinning faster in the region.
Addressing the US Congress, King Abdullah said that finding a solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict was the most pressing issue.
He said that while the trouble in Iraq was important, the 60 year old conflict in Palestine was the key to stabilizing the region.
King Abdullah, who was speaking in Congress for the first time, said: "The wellspring of regional division, the source of resentment and frustration...is the denial of justice and peace in Palestine".
The king said that the US needed to act now and urged them to back the Saudi peace plan which was floated in 2002 and offered recognition of Israel in return for a viable Palestinian state.
He said: "Nothing can assert America's moral vision more clearly, nothing can reach the world's youth more directly than your leadership in a peace process that delivers results, not next year, not in five years, but this year.''
