US pressed over Palestinians

Israel has clamped down again on the territories

By Emma Jane Kirby BBC Geneva correspondent

King Abdullah of Jordan has called on America to do more to focus world attention on the situation in the Palestinian territories.

Speaking at the World Economic Forum at Davos, he said that extremists had found it easy to recruit in the Middle East because people had been left in despair.

Whatever happens I hope it is as quick and painless as possible

King Abdullah

US Secretary of State Colin Powell, in his own speech to the forum, said his administration fully backed the creation of a "democratic and viable" Palestine.

The Jordanian leader said that he hoped that "whatever happens between Iraq and the international community" would be "quick and as painless as possible".

"Then all our energies must be put together as part of the international community to galvanise the United States and together to say to the Israelis and Palestinians: enough is enough," he said.

'Strong statement'

Colin Powell said the United States was committed to a "road map for lasting peace" drawn up by the US, the EU, Russia and the United Nations.

He suggested a time frame of 2005 for a new Palestinian state and insisted it should be a "real state and not a phoney one divided into a thousand different pieces".

He also called on Israel to do more to address the humanitarian concerns of the Palestinian people and to stop constructing settlements in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.

His words were welcomed by Amr Moussa, the Secretary General of the Arab League who said they were an extremely positive sign:

"I was impressed by what he said about the viability of the Palestinian state that is to be established, that Israel has to know that it has to be a real state, a real true state.

"This was a strong statement that I applaud."

New leaders

But Mr Powell warned that a Palestinian state was only possible if a new, responsible leadership was installed which would clamp down on terrorism.

He assured his audience that in the coming months, the US would be fully engaged in the creation of a new Palestinian state.

But he hinted that conditions must change in other countries in the region.