His Majesty King Abdullah II on Friday said that the Israeli withdrawal plan from the Gaza Strip is a courageous step which gives hope to achieve a just and lasting peace in the region. During a meeting in New York with Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon on the sidelines of the UN 2005 World Summit, King Abdullah stressed the necessity that the withdrawal from the Gaza Strip be followed by other withdrawals from the West Bank in implementation of the roadmap which is the only way to achieve peace. His Majesty noted that ''We, all of us including Israel, are concerned to help the Palestinian National Authority to build the institutions which can offer better conditions of life for the Palestinian people''. The King reiterated that establishing a viable Palestinian state side by side with Israel will achieve the ambitions and hopes of the Palestinian people and contribute to security and stability in the region. For his part, Sharon said that the issue of security is a priority for Israel, stressing the necessity of exerting more efforts to guarantee security and for the PNA to fully control the Gaza Strip. The meeting was attended by Deputy director of the National Security Council and Acting Director of His Majesty the King's Office Ma'rouf Bakheet, Minister of Foreign Affairs Farouk Qasrawi, Jordan's Permanent Representative at the United Nations His Royal Highness Prince Zeid Ben Raad and the Jordanian Ambassador in Washington, Kareem Kawar.