His Majesty King Abdullah has called for immediate UN intervention to end the crisis in Lebanon and the Gaza Strip.

King Abdullah told UN Secretary General Kofi Annan over the phone that "the deteriorating situation in the region will lead to more bloodshed, destruction and suffering of the Palestinians and the Lebanese".

On the eve of the G-8 summit in St. Petersburge, the King, who ordered the dispatch of 650 tons of aid to both the Palestinians and the Lebanese, telephoned German Chancellor Angela Merkel and called on her to "take a stand demanding an end to the Israeli aggression on Lebanon and the Gaza Strip as well as a ceasefire between Israel and Hizbollah". He stressed the importance of G-8 support for efforts to end the crisis.

King Abdullah also met Bahraini King Sheikh Hamad Ben Isa Al Khalifa in Manama. The two leaders said that dialogue and diplomacy were the most effective means of conflict-resolution and warned that the entire Middle East would suffer grave repercussions if violence persists.