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Jordan King Tells Clinton 'Deeply Worried' about Gaza

Jordan's King Abdullah II on Friday told U.S. Secretary of State Hilary Clinton in a phone call that he was "deeply worried" about Israel's air strikes on the Gaza Strip, a palace statement said.

"Clinton telephoned the king, who said he was deeply worried about the dangerous repercussions of Israel's aggression on Gaza and its impact on the region," the statement added.

The king, whose country has a 1994 peace agreement with the Jewish state, "warned against Israel's military escalation, stressing that more international efforts are needed to stop it," the palace said.

The government in Amman has condemned Israel's harshest Gaza operation in four years that was launched on Wednesday.

Clinton, who is in Asia, has also spoken twice with her Egyptian counterpart Mohammed Amr since the start of the Israeli operation.

"In all of the conversations that she has had... we all agree on the need to de-escalate this conflict," State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said in Washington.

Clinton was also expected to be in contact with "countries with influence, to try to maximize the pressure we can bring to bear on Hamas to cease and desist," Nuland added.

Clinton has not yet spoken with Palestinian Authority leaders in the West Bank, Nuland added.

Source: Agence France Presse


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