U.S. urges Mideast states to exert efforts to attain peace

AMMAN, Sept. 16 (Xinhua) -- U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Thursday said realizing Middle East peace is possible and necessary, calling on the regional nations to exert all efforts to attain peace.

In a joint press conference held here with Jordan's Minister of Foreign Affairs Nasser Judeh on Thursday, Clinton said Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu are serious and committed to peace and they are trying to seek common ground in the peace negotiations.

"I am convinced that the Palestinian and Israeli leaders (Abbas and Netanyahu) can agree on creating two states for two peoples that live in peace and security," said Clinton.

Meanwhile, Clinton underlined the significance of the Arab Peace Initiative in attaining lasting and comprehensive peace in the region.

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton (L) and her Jordanian counterpart Naser Joudeh hold a press conference at the Markah airport in Amman, Jordan, on Sept. 16, 2010, after her meeting with Jordanian King Abdullah II. Clinton visited Jordan after two days of inconclusive Mideast peace negotiations between the Palestinian Authority and Israel.

Adopted by Arab leaders in 2002 in Beirut, the initiative offers Arab countries normalize ties with Israel in return for withdrawal from territories occupied by Israel in 1967.

Clinton also said Jordan is a major supporter of the peace process and the support is crucial to the process.

In the joint press conference, Judeh said his talks with Clinton focused on the latest developments in the direct Palestinian-Israeli negotiations.

Judeh stressed Jordan's full commitment to the direct negotiations that would lead to the realization of the two-state solution, which envisages the creation of an independent Palestinian state that lives side by side in peace and security along with Israel.

Jordan is the last stop of Clinton's Middle East trip, during which she attended the second round of the U.S.-brokered Palestinian-Israeli direct talks.