Speaking to a group of Washington diplomats, pundits, politicians and journalists, the Jordanian monarch said he was truly worried by the prevailing trend developing in his region.

"I do not want to talk about missed opportunities," King Abdullah said. "I want to focus on the urgency of not missing any more."

Jordan's king said that only the United States, with its prestige and power of influence in the Middle East, could intervene to prevent further deterioration in a very volatile part of the world.

"The United States has a stated, strategic interest in ending this conflict," the king said. He said that few crises in history have presented such a potent mix of threats, from the regional instability and violence the conflict promotes to the worldwide divisions it has caused -- divisions actively exploited by extremists.

The Jordanian king stressed the importance of the time factor, saying that "time is not on our side." Jordanian intelligence services are among the better trained and more efficient in the Arab world.

The king placed much hope for the future of the Arab-Israeli peace talks upon a direct intervention by the United States, and while the United States certainly carries its weight around the Middle East -- political weight helped along by generous aid packages, which come in the form of U.S. dollars -- countries there are helped along by just-as-generous aid packages made up of the United States' latest defense technologies and the most up-to-date weapon systems.

Abdallah told his audience that tackling the issue head on "was now imperative."

Speaking in a somber manner, Abdullah said there is no more time to engage in yet another open-ended process. "We have seen what comes of process without progress," he said. "Every missed opportunity has alienated more people on both sides."

Abdullah warned that continued lack of progress in bringing about a peaceful resolution to the 60-year-old problem -- and the cause of half a dozen Middle East wars -- could very well lead to another open conflict in the region unless quick action is undertaken.

"There must be a settlement that fulfills legitimate rights of both parties -- the rights of Palestinians to statehood, and the right of Israelis to security." However, many analysts are asking whether the election of Binyamin Netanyahu -- a right-wing hardliner -- as Israel's new prime minister might not regress the situation even further.

But this analyst will argue that historically it has been Israel's most conservative prime ministers who have made the largest peace overtures toward the Arabs. The first was Menachem Begin, who returned the entire Sinai peninsula to Egypt in exchange for diplomatic relations and a peace treaty that holds to this day.

The second was Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, who returned Gaza to the Palestinians.

The king reiterated that a large number of Arabs are in favor of peace and that despite all provocations during the last seven years, the landmark Arab Peace Initiative has held.

The Jordanian monarch recalled the main points of the agreement: ending the occupation of Palestinian land by Israel, creating a Palestinian state and providing security guarantees and normal relations to Israel.

A peace treaty with Israel at this point would offer the Jewish state acceptance and recognition by all the countries in the region and normal relations with its neighbors. In addition, King Abdullah said, Muslim countries around the world have also expressed their support for a peace treaty. There are still 57 countries in the world today that do not recognize Israel.

Abdullah called the Arab Peace Initiative "the most important proposal for peace in the history of this conflict."

"Israel must know that attempting to delay this solution will be disastrous for its own future as well as for the future of the Palestinians," the king said. "I cannot emphasize enough how important U.S. partnership is to help Israel accept the opening the Arab world has offered, work with us and move forward."

Finally, the king said he believes peace can succeed and Jordan for one would settle for nothing less.

(Claude Salhani is editor of the Middle East Times.)

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