King Hussein met Sunday with U.S. Rep. Wayne Owens, D-Utah, and discussed Middle East issues, including the Palestinian question, the official Jordan news agency reported.

It said the monarch "expressed his appreciation to the U.S. administration for initiating a dialogue with the Palestine Liberation Organization."The agency reported that the king said he hoped "this move would lead to a just and comprehensive settlement to the Middle East crisis through an international peace conference."

The United States announced Thursday it was willing to open a substative dialogue with the PLO after its chairman, Yasser Arafat, rennounced terrorism and recognized Israel's right to exist.

Hussein also reaffirmed Jordan's "support for the PLO, the sole and legitimate representative of the Palestinian people, and its efforts to achieve the dream of Arab Palestinians for a comprehensive and just peace," the agency noted.

Owens, 56, who sits on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, arrived in Amman on Friday on a fact-finding mission to the Middle East, a U.S. Embassy official said.

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The official, who spoke on condition he was not named, said Owens was scheduled to cross the Jordan River Monday to the Israeli-occupied West Bank.

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