Jordanian officials failed to respond to a request from Netanyahu to set up a meeting with the king, saying they would have to check his schedule, a source in Jerusalem said in a report on Monday.
The Jordanian response was polite but evasive, insinuating there is no reason for such a meeting to take place because of the stalemate in peace talks with the Palestinians.
Last week, Netanyahu dispatched National Security Adviser Uzi Arad to Amman to convey his request. Arad met with the chief of Abdullah's palace, Nasser Lawzi, and Jordanian Foreign Minister Nasser Jawdeh.
Arad briefed them on Netanyahu's recent meeting with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and asked to arrange a similar meeting with Abdullah.
He also asked the Jordanians to pressure Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas to return to the negotiating table, the report said.
An Arab diplomat said the Jordanians were disappointed with Arad's visit and that he told them "nothing new."
Following his meeting with Mubarak in Sharm el-Sheik last week, Netanyahu discussed the meeting and latest developments in a telephone conversation with Abdullah. The Jordanian monarch pressed Netanyahu to focus on core issues and urged him to move toward reaching a two-state solution with the Palestinians.
End item/ 159
