US President Barack Obama said Wednesday after meeting with Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas here that parties were making progress on the Middle East peace process.

'We are making progress,' said Obama after his bilateral meeting with Abbas in the White House. He also said the talks were productive, but gave no specific details, Xinhua reported.

Obama will later meet separately with King Abdullah II of Jordan and Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak. In the evening, the five leaders, including Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu whom Obama met earlier in the day, will deliver statements to the press, and Obama will then host a dinner for the leaders.