The United States on Saturday declined to elaborate on its Middle East strategy, after King Abdullah II of Jordan told AFP in an interview that Washington was preparing a major new peace plan.
But senior aides to President Barack Obama hinted that any new US plan could involve an expansion of a 2002 Saudi-inspired peace initiative which the King has been advancing as a possible way forward.
The king and Obama met at the White House last month, and a senior Obama administration official said they had discussed possible ways forward.
"One of the things they discussed was the possibility of taking this Arab peace initiative ... and building on it and making it an even stronger contributor to moving forward," the official said on condition of anonymity.
"What will come out of all of these discussions is a determination of what is the best way to move forward," the official said, briefing reporters on Obama's talks on Monday with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
"At this point were not going to describe if there is a specific plan on the table authored by us or anybody else."
The king said earlier in the interview that he expected an "announcement from the US administration ... of its plan to restart negotiations to achieve a comprehensive solution," in the Middle East.
"A resolution to the conflict is an American strategic interest," he said.
"And we hope that it (Washington) will announce this plan as soon as possible, because lost time undermines the chances for peace. There is a tremendous need to move quickly, seriously and effectively," he added.
The king, a key US ally, gave no details on the expected plan.
But he warned that "the possibilities of a new round of violence, a new war, will increase and the region and the world will pay the price," in the absence of any resolution.
Some observers expect Obama to unveil a new US peace plan during his major address to the Muslim world in Egypt on June 4, after talks later this month with Netanyahu, Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and Palestinian leader Mahmud Abbas.
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