Photo by GPO

Prime Minister Ehud Olmert is currently on a working visit to Jordan, where he is meeting with King Abdullah II.  Having concluded a working lunch with their staffs, the Prime Minister and the King are now holding a private meeting.  During the working lunch, the two leaders discussed bilateral relations (http://tinyurl.com/2hgttx), the Israeli-Palestinian peace process (http://tinyurl.com/67w5e) and US President George Bush's upcoming visit to the region.

King Abdullah, who met yesterday in Aqaba, with Palestinian Authority President Abu Mazen, expressed his hope that the latter and Prime Minister Olmert will advance the peace process and will continue the process begun at Annapolis (http://tinyurl.com/2goqa7) in order to complete it as quickly as possible.

Photo by GPO

Prime Minister Olmert and King Abdullah also discussed the implementation of the Roadmap (http://tinyurl.com/cbev6) and the Palestinians' and Israel's Roadmap commitments. 

Prime Minister Olmert updated King Abdullah on the rocket fire from the Gaza Strip (http://tinyurl.com/3ypjqk) and reiterated the urgent need for the Palestinians to prepare to fight terrorism and dismantle its infrastructures.  The Prime Minister also stressed Israel's commitment not to establish new settlements and to refrain from expropriating new land in Judea and Samaria.

Prime Minister Olmert is expected to return to Israel later this evening.