KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia and Jordan yesterday expressed hope that a united Palestinian government could be formed in the effort to establish an independent and sovereign Palestinian state.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi and King Abdullah II of Jordan expressed this in their talks when Abdullah paid a courtesy call on the king at a hotel here, said Deputy Foreign Minister Datuk Abdul Rahim Bakri.

King Abdullah II and Queen Rania Al Abdullah had arrived earlier yesterday for a two-day working visit to Malaysia.

Abdul Rahim, speaking after the 40-minute talks between the two leaders, said Abdullah had expressed the hope that lasting peace could be established in the region which had seen Israeli-Palestinian conflict for 60 years.

He said King Abdullah also felt the need for a roadmap for peace and other commitments to be implemented as soon as possible.



Efforts to forge solidarity among the Palestinian people are seen as important in making the dream of establishing a sovereign Palestinian state a reality.

Conflict between the two main Palestinian factions - Hamas and Fatah - has often led to bloody fighting between the two groups. - Bernama