Jordan, Egypt push for resumption of peace talks

Jordan and Egypt Sunday urged the Palestinians and Israelis to resume peace talks as soon as possible and said efforts to form a new unity government between Hamas and more moderate factions were critical. President Hosni Mubarak and Jordan's King Abdullah II, key US allies in the Mideast and Israel's only Arab peace partners, said "reviving the Palestinian-Israeli peace process" was a top priority. This included "both sides returning to the negotiating table in the soonest possible time," they said. Mubarak flew into the Jordanian capital on an unexpected visit Sunday. Accompanied by his foreign minister and his chief of intelligence, Mubarak held a closed-door meeting with Abdullah and top aides at an Amman hilltop palace.