Jordan's prime minister Marouf Bakhit has invited the Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Prime Minister Ismail Haneya to Amman for talks to end violence in the Palestinian territories, the official Petra news agency reported on Monday.

Bakhit called the Palestinian premier Monday evening, " expressing Jordan's readiness to do its utmost to halt the shedding of Palestinian blood and avert any inter-Palestinian fighting," Petra quoted a government statement as saying.

"The prime minister also said Jordan is ready to host a meeting between Abbas and Haneya when the appropriate circumstances are secured," the statement said.

Abbas arrived in Amman Monday evening and held talks with Bakhit on the latest developments in the Palestinian territories.

Abbas was originally scheduled to visit Jordan on Sunday. However, his meeting with Jordan's king Abdullah II was postponed as he had to attend a traditional Christmas ceremony Sunday night in Bethlehem.

Situation has been tense in the Palestinian territories as infighting between Fatah movement of Abbas and Hamas movement of Haneya has continued for months.

It has further deteriorated after Abbas called for early parliamentary and presidential elections on Dec. 16, with over 15 Palestinians being killed in factional clashes since then.

Source: Xinhua