AMMAN, Jordan, Aug. 29 (UPI) -- Jordan's King Abdullah met Israel's Defense Minister Ehud Barak Sunday to discuss how to achieve comprehensive peace in the region, officials said.
The meeting took place in Amman.
The two also discussed Israel's ties with its neighbors in the area, Israel's Channel 10 network said.
The Jordanian king and Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak were invited by U.S. President Barack Obama to attend the peace summit in Washington Thursday, aimed at bringing about the resumption of peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians.
The two are scheduled to depart for Washington Sunday, the television report said.
Barak told the king he hoped the Palestinians would treat the meeting seriously and act towards achieving peace, the report said.
"Peace is a strategic objective for Israel. We expect the Palestinians to come to the peace talks with openness," Jordan's Petra news agency quoted Barak saying.
The Jordanian king implored Israel not to miss the opportunity of achieving peace, the television said.
The king stressed the need to treat the renewal of direct negotiations seriously and ensure that final status issues are addressed in order to facilitate the establishment of an independent Palestinian state, the agency said.
Abdullah repeated the need to reach a comprehensive peace based on a two-state solution, saying it is the only way to achieve stability and security in the region, the agency said.
