Jordanian King Abdullah on Monday rejected the idea of forging a federation between Jordan and the Palestinian territories at this stage, according to an official statement.

During the meeting with ambassadors of European Union countries in Amman, Abdullah said "the concept of confederation or Jordanian-Palestinian federation does not exist in our dictionary and we will not accept to talk about this subject at the present time."

Raising this issue from time to time is not in the interest of Jordanians and the Palestinians, he said, adding that Jordan may accept this proposal, in the future, after establishing an independent Palestinian state in case it was satisfied by the Jordanian and Palestinian peoples.

Abdullah also praised the role the EU was playing in efforts aimed at resuming peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians, according to the statement.

He also urged Europe to continue its role and efforts aimed at finding a comprehensive political settlement of the Palestinian cause as it is the core of conflict in the region, and encouraging both sides to take confidence-building measures in the run-up for resuming negotiations.

The talks with the EU ambassadors on the eve of his departure on Tuesday to Cairo for talks with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak on means of stopping the bloody clashes between the Palestinian groups Hamas and Fatah and setting the stage for a unified Palestinian attitude before entering into talks with the Israelis.

Source: Xinhua