JORDAN - July 29 - Abdullah In London.

King Abdullah meets British PM Tony Blair in London. They discuss the Israeli-Palestinian crisis and the possibility of military strikes on Iraq. Abdullah warns that no assault should be launched against Baghdad while Israel and the PA continue to fight. Blair's office called the talks "very friendly and positive". (Blair has broadly supported US Pres. Bush in the war against terrorism, which has refocused international attention on Saddam Hussein, and last week said no decision had been made as to whether military strikes were needed. King Abdullah has publicly opposed military action against Iraq, and is travelling to Washington - see Arab-US Relations - to reiterate to Bush that his administration should continue to push for a peaceful resolution in the Middle East). In an interview with the the Times published on July 29, Abdullah said he would challenge Bush to live up to his promise of a Palestinian state by urging him to produce a Middle East "action plan" with firm deadlines and timetables. The newspaper reported that Abdullah warned that any US action against Iraq would open a "Pandora's box" in the Middle East, but admitted that Arab countries needed to do more to find formulate their own peace proposals. Abdullah also criticised Bush's call for Arafat's removal, saying this only boosted the Palestinian leader's popularity and set back Palestinian moves to oust him.