Jordan’s Abdullah: EU should help restart stalled Mideast peace talks

Jordan’s king Abdullah II on Sunday reiterated his belief that the European Union should help get the Middle East peace process back on track as he met with Greek Foreign Minister Dimitris Droutsas, a royal court statement said.
King Abdullah II of Jordan delivering a speech in Amman     
"The monarch urged the EU to continue its important role to help surmount … challenges facing the direct talks between the Palestinians and Israelis," the statement read.
Abdullah also called for pressure to be put on Israel to stop all unilateral actions, including the building of settlements, which he said "threatened" the resumption of the direct negotiations.
Droutsas had said at an earlier press conference that his country would continue, through its membership in the EU, to support direct talks so that "comprehensive peace" can be reached in the region.
Droutsas also met with his Jordanian counterpart, Nasser Judeh, during the visit, which is part of a regional tour that will include stops in Israel, the Palestinian territories and Egypt.
Abdulla’s comments came after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said on Saturday that a planned Israeli-Palestinian summit due to be held in Paris by the end of the month has been rescheduled, a sign of increased strain over stalled peace talks.
French President Nicolas Sarkozy invited Netanyahu, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak to meet before the end of October, although an exact date for the summit had not been set.
"Following joint consultations it has been agreed to set a new date for the preparatory meeting," a statement from Netanyahu’s office said, adding there was no chance of holding it on October 21, which was previously thought to be possible.
"We are looking for a new date that works for everybody, although there is nothing firm scheduled yet," an Israeli government official told Reuters.
The talks were intended to prepare for a summit in late November of leaders from European and Mediterranean countries including Middle East players, Sarkozy said when he announced his invitation at the end of September.