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Bush, Jordan King Discuss Mideast Peace
US President George W. Bush on Tuesday called on Palestinians and Israelis to lay down their arms and resume Middle East peace negotiation when he met Jordan's King Abdullah II at the White House.
"We discussed a lot of subjects, starting with how best to work together to lay the foundation for peace in the Middle East," Bush told reporters after he had lunch and Oval Office discussions with King Abdullah.
The Bush administration has repeatedly indicated that it hopes the king and Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak -- who met with Bush last week -- will press Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat to end violence in the region.
"Our country is very interested in working with all parties for the parties to lay down their arms. In order for there to be discussions that will lead to peace, first and foremost, the violence must stop. And we're working hard to convince the parties to stop the violence," Bush said.
"His majesty and I talked about how best that all peaceful countries in the region can discourage violent activities," he said.
The Jordanian king, for his part, said he and the U.S. leader " had a very warm and constructive discussion today about not only bilateral relations, but that of the region.
"I believe that we're both committed to finding peace and stability in our part of the world. And I look forward to working with the Bush administration to try and bring peace and stability to the Middle East," Abdullah said.
Meanwhile, Israeli missiles pounded targets in the Gaza Strip, killing a Palestinian military doctor and injuring 18 others.
The death of the doctor brought the number of those killed in the six-month-old Palestinian uprising to 471, among them 386 Palestinians, 13 Arab Israelis, 71 Jewish Israelis and one German.
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