King Abdullah of Jordan urged the United States last night to exert new leadership in the Middle East and said the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is still the core problem.
Speaking to a joint session of the US House of Representatives and Senate, he noted that 11 US presidents and 30 Congresses had already wrestled with the dispute and said it could not be left once more to a future generation.
"Let us say together: 'No more!' Let us say together: 'Let's solve this!' Let us say together: 'Yes, we will achieve this!'" he declared.
King Abdullah of Jordan
Washington is under pressure from European and Arab allies to get more involved in resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Peace talks collapsed in 2000.
The Jordanian king told US lawmakers that, despite the Iraq war, the wellspring of regional division remained the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
US potential to help Palestinians and Israelis find peace was unrivalled, he said, "because the people of the region still regard the United States as the key to peace, the one country most capable of bringing the two sides closer together, holding them accountable, and making a just settlement reality."
The Jordanian Embassy said King Abdullah made similar appeals for more US engagement during a meeting with President Bush.
King Abdullah was the first foreign leader to address a joint session of the new Democratic-led Congress, which since gathering in January has been searching for ways to wind down the US presence in Iraq.