AMMAN, July 17, SPA _ Jordan's King Abdullah has welcomed U.S. President George W. Bush's call for an international Middle East peace conference, telling the U.S. leader that relaunching Arab-Israeli peacemaking was a «positive step». «President Bush's call for holding an international peace conference to discuss ways to restarting thePalestinian-Israeli peace process according to a two-statesolution is a positive step in the right direction,» theJordanian monarch, told Bush in atelephone call Monday. «This call will pave the way for achieving a real andtangible progress in the peace process leading to anindependent Palestinian state to be established onPalestinian soil,» Abdullah added, according to a palacestatement released by his Royal Court Tuesday, and carried by the Associated Press. The King, who is on a state visit to Canada, alsodescribed Bush's pledge for more than US$190 million in aid to the Palestinians as a «constructive step toward easing economic hardship facing the Palestinian people.» Bush said Monday that the proposed conference will bring together Israelis, Palestinians and some of their Arabneighbors thrashing out issues that have blocked restarting peace negotiations and setting up a Palestinian state alongside Israel. The conference would be held this fall at a location to be specified later, he said. --SPA www.spa.gov.sa/468145