King Abdullah II of Jordan has pledged his support to Tony Blair for his efforts to shore up confidence between Israel and the Palestinians, in his role as envoy to the Middle East for the Quartet of nations.

The two men met to discuss the issues surrounding peace in the region, after which an official statement from King Abdullah’s royal court said that:

"The monarch expressed backing for the efforts being exerted by the Quartet with a view to narrowing the gap and boosting confidence between the Palestinians and Israelis ahead of the international conference on Middle East peace that was proposed by U.S. President George W. Bush".

"To ensure [that] the conference be a success, all parties concerned with the peace process should work seriously in the coming few weeks to ensure that the meeting comes up with positive results that fulfill the aspirations of the Palestinian people in establishing an independent state on all Palestinian territories," the statement contined.

The Jordanian leader stressed the need for putting final-status issues - Jerusalem, refugees, settlements and borders - on the agenda of the international conference.