Jordan's King Abdullah II said on Sunday that an Israeli state and a Palestinian one living side by side would be the only guarantee for stability in the Middle East, the official Petra News Agency reported.

"Jordan strongly supports the vision of the American president for a two-nation solution to end the Israeli-Palestinian conflict," Abdullah said in a letter to US President George W. Bush.

"This is the only acceptable solution and the only way to guarantee stability in the region and security for our people," he said.

Abdullah's message came before his visit to the United States later this week. He will leave Wednesday for the United States and is due to meet Bush on April 21 at the White House.

Talks will focus on ways to revive the stalled Middle East peace process as well as the situation in Iraq, the palace official Karim Kawar told Petra.

"Jordan sees that the United States has an important role to play at this specific time in the Middle East peace process," Kawar said. "We don't want to feel that we have reached a dead end."

On the Iraq issue, Kawar said Jordan was "very concerned at the deteriorating security situation" in its eastern neighbour.

"It is up to the United States and the international community must strive to guarantee the unity and security of Iraq," he said.