Jordanian King Abdullah II warned on Sunday that the entire world "will pay the price" if the recently renewed direct talks between the Palestinians and Israelis fail, dpa reported.
A royal court statement said he made the remarks during a meeting with the chief editors of local newspapers, whom he briefed on his talks in Washington earlier this week with United States President Barack Obama, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Egyptian President Hosny Mubarak.
"The king cautioned that the failure of the negotiations will reflect negatively on all parties and that all states of the world and the region will pay the price, because the alternative will be more wars and conflicts," the statement said.
The monarch also said that the direct talks, which were relaunched in Washington on Thursday, "provide an opportunity for resolving the Palestinian-Israeli conflict if the parties deal with the negotiations in a positive manner, so that all final status issues are addressed within the two-state vision."
Abdullah considers the establishment of an independent Palestinian state "a strategic interest" for Jordan, which he said would continue to provide "backing for the Palestinian brethren in their quest to accomplish freedom and statehood."
The monarch said that Obama had assured him of his "personal commitment to achieving peace on the basis of the two-state solution that guarantees the setting up of an independent Palestinian state that lives in peace with Israel."