Jordan's king delays W. House meeting
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Jordan's King Abdullah has postponed his planned visit Wednesday to Washington to meet with President Bush, the royal palace announced Monday.
The visit was rescheduled for the first week in May, the palace said in a written statement.
It said the king wanted time for "more discussion and negotiations [with the Bush administration] ... and in order to clarify the U.S. position towards the peace process and the final status of the West Bank, especially after the statements made by the U.S. administration recently."
Last week, Bush endorsed Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's plan under which Israel would unilaterally pull out of Gaza and parts of the West Bank, but would keep certain settlements in the West Bank. (Full story)
Bush's endorsement sparked anger from many Palestinians and other Arab leaders.
The palace did not mention Israel's targeted killing Saturday of Hamas leader Abdel Aziz Rantisi that the king condemned in a harsh statement issued from the U.S. West Coast where he was traveling over the weekend.
Some State Department officials said the assassination probably was a factor in the king's decision
But a senior State Department official said that while the king's decision to postpone his visit was made due to "ongoing developments in the region, it wasn't out of a fit over Rantisi or the Sharon plan."
"It was more that the king felt he needed to be home right now," the senior official said.
There was no immediate indication when Abdullah would leave for Jordan.
Jordanian Foreign Minister Marwan Muasher will remain in Washington to continue discussions with administration officials, the Jordanian statement said.
Muasher is expected to meet with national security adviser Condoleezza Rice and Secretary of State Colin Powell this week.
The statement said Abdullah sent a letter to Bush on April 8 "stating the Jordanian position regarding ways for ending the Arab-Israeli conflict by implementing the road map that consists of the Palestinian independent state."
The statement also said the "letter also reiterated the importance of the Israeli withdrawal from Gaza being part of the road map" rather than a unilateral action.
The statement went on to say that Jordan wants an international plan to offer "support and help for Palestinians in order to build their institutions and to help them build their own future."
And it said Jordan "sees in the content of the king's letter to President Bush several important elements that need to be completed by the two parties, the Jordanians and the Americans, through discussions."
State Department spokesman Richard Boucher on Monday acknowledged Israel's attack Saturday against Rantisi has been a main topic of discussion among U.S. and Arab officials.
Those include meetings Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage is having in the region, Boucher said.
"It's a matter that many governments have taken strong positions on," Boucher said. "There's been a reaction in the region, been a lot of threats made by some of the militant groups."
Boucher said the United States had no prior knowledge of the planned action and did not give its approval.
He said the Bush administration hoped reaction in the region would not affect the "real opportunity" created by Sharon's plan for unilateral disengagement from Gaza.
CNN's Elise Labott contributed to this report.
