JERUSALEM - King Abdullah II of Jordan said on Monday that Arab nations would revive at their March summit in Algeria a Middle East peace plan that was first adopted in 2002.
In an interview with Israel's Channel Two television, King Abdullah said that Jordan, Egypt and Saudi Arabia were preparing to relaunch the plan, which would be adapted from its first version to ensure that it was better received by Israelis.
King Abdullah affirmed his belief that the plan -- first adopted at the Beirut Arab League summit in 2002 -- could solve fundemental problems in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict such as the right to return and east Jerusalem.
"I was surprised after the Beirut conference that it did not have really an impact on Israeli society," he said.
"So maybe we have to explain more what was the offer from all the Arab countries towards Israel. So we hope in Algiers we will get a Beirut plus, a stronger commitment."
The peace plan offers Israel a comprehensive peace deal in exchange for withdrawing completely from territories occupied during the 1967 war and proposes a "just" solution to the issue of the right of return for Palestinian refugees.
The original version was adopted by a Arab League Summit in Beirut in March 2002 but rejected by Israel. The next summit is due between March 22-23 in Algiers.
03/07/2005 20:37 GMT