Bush Asks King Abdullah To Meet Israeli, Palestinian Leaders

President calls U.S.-Jordanian relations strong, important and vital

President Bush has asked Jordan’s King Abdullah to meet with Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to help with Middle East peace efforts.

Speaking with the Jordanian leader September 22 at the White House, Bush told him, "It will be very helpful to have your voice of reason there to talk to both leaders."

Bush thanked King Abdullah for his "vision of a peaceful world," which includes religious freedom and the empowerment of women. "Your majesty is a leader," Bush told him, adding that the United States greatly respects his leadership.

The president also described U.S.-Jordanian relations as being "strong and important and vital."

King Abdullah said he and Bush had "some very fruitful discussions on the peace process and Iraq," and thanked the president for "giving hope to Israelis and Palestinians."

On September 20 in New York, the United States, the European Union, Russia and the United Nations, known as the Quartet when dealing with the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, met for the first time since Israel’s withdrawal from Gaza to discuss ways to maintain momentum toward a peaceful settlement of the conflict. (See "Mideast Quartet Looks To Build on Israeli Withdrawal from Gaza.")

"I know that you want to find a solution … [in which] Israelis and Palestinians can live in peace and harmony and I hope if we can help in that respect, that is a great honor for us," King Abdullah said.

For additional information, see The Middle East: A Vision for the Future.

Following is the transcript of remarks by President Bush and King Abdullah:

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THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the Press Secretary
September 22, 2005

REMARKS BY PRESIDENT BUSH AND HIS MAJESTY KING ABDULLAH OF JORDAN
The Oval Office

1:48 P.M. EDT

PRESIDENT BUSH: Your Majesty, welcome back. We have just had a wide-ranging and fruitful discussion about the Middle East. I want to thank you very much for your vision of a peaceful world, one in which people are able to practice their religion freely and one in which women are empowered. Your Majesty is a leader and the United States of America respects his leadership a lot.

One of the things I asked His Majesty to do was to go to visit with Prime Minister Sharon and President Abbas, to help in the peace process there, and he's graciously agreed to go. I want to thank you, sir, for taking a leadership role; it will be very helpful to have your voice of reason there to talk to both leaders.

Relations between Jordan and America are strong and important and vital. And, again, I want to welcome you and thank you very much for your advice and counsel on a lot of different subjects.

KING ABDULLAH: Thank you, Mr. President; always a pleasure to be back. And thank you very much for always the kind support that you've given me and all Jordanians.

As you said so, we've had some very fruitful discussions on the peace process and Iraq. And I want to thank you again for the support that we have gotten from you for so many years on giving hope to Israelis and Palestinians. And I know that you want to find a solution that Israelis and Palestinians can meet in peace and harmony and I hope that if we can help in that respect, that is a great honor for us.

Thank you for allowing us to see you again, sir.

PRESIDENT BUSH: Thank you.

Source: U.S. Department of State

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