Jordan King Tries to Get Peace Process Going With U.S., Syria

King Abdullah II says time is critical for the United States’ new approach for Mideast Peace.

He said this in an interview with Britain’s Times of London on Monday.

According to the King, the Obama administration has laid out a plan that will involve not only Israel and the Palestinian territories, but 57 countries from the Muslim world – from Morocco to Indonesia.

All nations would have to recognize Israel’s right to exist, and for Israel to make peace with other rivals besides the Palestinians.

“What we are talking about is not Israelis and Palestinians sitting at the table, but Israelis sitting with Palestinians, Israelis sitting with Syrians, Israelis sitting with Lebanese,” said Abdullah.

“We are offering a third of the world to meet them with open arms,” the King went on. “The future is not the Jordan River or the Golan Heights or the Sinai, the future is Morocco in the Atlantic and Indonesia in the Pacific. That is the prize.”

But he warned: “If we delay our peace negotiations, then there is going to be another conflict between Arabs or Muslims and Israel in the next 12-18 months.”

King Abdullah was in Syria Monday to briefly meet with President Bashir Assad. There, the two leaders “stressed the importance of the American administration’s call for a comprehensive peace in the region,” Syria’s state news agency said. It added they agreed to “continue coordination and consultations.”

After being shunned by the Bush administration, Syria is now eager to get involved with the peace process with President Obama.

King Abdullah himself is trying to orchestrate the United States and Syria to negotiate.

Jordan, along with Egypt, are the only two countries that signed peace deals with Israel.