Palestinian President Yasser Arafat held talks with Jordan's King Abdullah today on the future of Middle East peacemaking in light of Ariel Sharon's election as Israeli prime minister.
The Jordanian capital was Mr Arafat's third stop on a swift Arab tour aimed at gathering support for a drive to reverse Mr Sharon's refusal to resume peace negotiations at the point they had reached under his more liberal predecessor Ehud Barak, Palestinian officials said.
Officials said King Abdullah had reiterated Jordan's support for the Palestinians and said the two sides should build on progress achieved with Mr Barak in the peace process.
Both leaders denounced what they called Israel's use of violence against the Palestinian people, the officials said. Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza Strip have been revolting against Israeli occupation for nearly five months.
Nearly 390 people have died in the uprising, mostly Palestinians.
Mr Arafat flew to Amman after talks in Tunis with President Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali. Before visiting Tunisia, he had held separate talks in Cairo with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and visiting Spanish Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar.
Mr Arabs want Sharon, who is trying to form a new government, to resume negotiations with the Palestinians at the point they had reached under Mr Barak, a demand the hawkish Sharon has rejected.
Reuters