King Abdullah of Jordan warns of Israel's stand concerning peace talks

King Abdullah II warned that Israel''s stance in peace talks and the situation in Syria are adding to the risks of instability in the Middle East. The King said ,in an interview with The Wall Street Journal and published by the Jordanian newspaper Tuesday, that Israel''s leaders are "sticking their heads in the sand." King Abdullah, who is currently visiting the United States to take part in the 66th UN General Assembly meeting, added "''If we can''t get the Israelis and Palestinians together in this next couple of days, then what signal is that for the future process?''. "If we are back to the drawing board, I think we''re back beyond that," he said. "It will have a very negative impact, I think, on all of us." Answering a question on the situation in Syria, the Jordanian Monarch said that the Jordanian government is closely watching the situation in neighboring Syria and its impact on the wider region. King Abdullah said he spoke twice earlier this year to Syrian President Assad "to discuss about the challenges we''re facing and how we could be supportive in lessons learned. But at that time, the Syrians weren''t interested in what we had to say." On the other hand, the Jordanian king said he is confident that the Jordanian government has gotten out ahead of the democratic-protest wave that has swept the Middle East this year, initiating constitutional and political changes . "I think we are way ahead of the curve, because we have a plan so we have a new Jordan as quickly as possible," he said.