Amman - King Abdullah II on Tuesday assured Iraqi Vice President Tareq al-Hashemi of Jordan's determination to "boost political and economic" ties with Iraq, but stopped short of committing his country to sending a diplomatic mission to Baghdad at this juncture.

"The monarch emphasised Jordan's keenness on vitalizing ties of cooperation between the two countries particularly in the political, economic and commercial spheres and in such a manner that serves their common interests," a royal court statement said.

Al-Hashemi arrived in Amman earlier Tuesday as part of an Arab tour aimed at boosting Baghdad's ties with Arab countries and convincing them to send back their diplomatic missions to Baghdad.

King Abdullah expressed support for the Iraqi government's efforts aimed at "restoring security and stability in Iraq and ending all forms of violence and terrorism", the statement said.

He urged Arab countries to "intensify support to, and open channels of communication with, Iraq to help it safeguard its unity and sovereignty".

The Iraqi vice president briefed the monarch on political developments in Iraq and thanked him for the care accorded to more than 500,000 Iraqis living in Jordan.

He said that Baghdad was keen on developing its commercial and investment ties with Jordan and that he intended to meet with Jordanian businessmen for this purpose. (dpa)