Jordanian King Abdullah II on Monday urged the United States to take "swift" steps to launch negotiations to resolve the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, according to the Royal Hashemite Court.

The king reaffirmed that the Palestinian issue is the core issue in the region and that its just resolution will pave the way for solving all regional problems, the royal court said in a statement.

The king made the remarks when receiving a US Congress delegation, which is currently visiting Jordan.

In a separate meeting with John Kerry, chairman of the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee, the king said he looked forward to working with US President Barack Obama to achieve a just and comprehensive peace in the Middle East.

John Kerry is on a regional tour, which is expected to take him to Egypt, Israel, the Palestinian territories and Syria.

Last year's direct peace talks between Israel and Palestinians produced little tangible progress as the two sides remained largely divided on core issues, such as the status of Jerusalem, the borders of a future Palestinian statehood and the fate of Palestinian refugees.

After a seven-year interruption, the peace talks were relaunched at a conference in Annapolis, Maryland, in November 2007 with an aim to secure a deal before the end of George W. Bush's presidency in January 2009.