AMMAN, Jordan, Dec. 19 (UPI) -- Jordan has stepped in to help resolve the internal Palestinian crisis by offering to host a meeting between Fatah's Mahmoud Abbas and Hamas' Ismail Haniyeh.
Jordan's King Abdullah made the offer Tuesday following talks with Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert who paid an unannounced visit to Amman for a few hours.
Abdullah reviewed the deteriorating situation in the Palestinian territories with Abbas in a telephone conversation during which he stressed his country's readiness to host a meeting between the Palestinian Authority president and Prime Minister Haniyeh.
The official Jordanian news agency, Petra, quoted a source at the Royal Court as saying Abdullah briefed Abbas on his talks with Olmert, affirming that "Jordan is ready for any effort to help the Palestinians overcome their internal problems and consolidate national unity."
The source added that "all options are available for Amman, including hosting the Abbas-Haniyeh meeting which could be a means for easing political tensions between Hamas and Fatah." This is the first time Jordan offers to host Hamas officials since the Islamic group won a landslide victory in last January's elections.
A truce announced on Monday appears to have collapsed with renewed inter-Palestinian fighting which erupted over the weekend following Abbas' announcement of his decision to hold early presidential and general elections.
Petra said Abdullah told Olmert, who visited Amman upon the Jordanian king's request, there is an urgent need for restarting talks with the Palestinians to reach a common ground for reviving the deadlocked peace process.
Abdullah stressed that the "key for settling the Palestinian-Israeli conflict stems from a common conviction by both parties that they should be partners in an operation that can only take place on the negotiating table and on the basis of international commitments and resolutions."
The Jordanian monarch also warned that any delay in settling the conflict on the basis of two states will plunge the region in a vicious cycle of violence that will backfire on all parties.
