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King, US president discuss region, strategic partnership

Trump to King: You have done an amazing job on refugees

By JT - Sep 20,2017 - Last updated at Sep 21,2017

His Majesty King Abdullah holds talks with US President Donald Trump in New York on Wednesday (Photo courtesy of Royal Court)

AMMAN —  His Majesty King Abdullah on Wednesday held talks with US President Donald Trump to discuss efforts to push the peace process forward, as well as overall developments in the region.

At the meeting, attended by HRH Crown Prince Hussein, King Abdullah and President Trump reviewed means to strengthen the strategic partnership between Jordan and the United States, affirming their keenness to enhance coordination and consultation on various issues.

In remarks to the press, His Majesty expressed appreciation for President Trump over US support for Jordan, and extended his condolences over the victims of the devastating hurricanes that recently hit the US.

“We have met several times this year, and I think that this shows the special relationship between our two countries, and how closely we work together,” the King said.

“I am very grateful for your support to our country in these difficult times, and the special bond between our two nations,” His Majesty added.

“We are all fighting together,” the King said, noting that terrorism is a “scourge around the world, but… we will overcome”.

Jordan will always stand with the US, His Majesty added.

For his part, President Trump welcomed the King and highlighted the partnership between the two countries.

“It’s a great honour to be with the King of Jordan, who has been our partner and ally for a long time, and I think never has the relationship been better than it is right now,” he said.

“We are working together on many problems, and some things that aren’t problems that are very, very good, but we’re going to make some of the bad ones turn out good,” the US president said.

“I just want to thank you for everything you’ve done in terms of the refugees and taking care of people that — who knows what would have happened without you. So I want to thank you and I want to thank everybody involved with you, and you have done an amazing job,” President Trump added.

“I have to say this about the King. He is a very fine gentleman, a very nice man. He’s also a great, great fighter, some people have to understand that,” he said.

During the talks, attended by senior officials on both sides, His Majesty expressed Jordan’s appreciation of the support provided by the United States in the economic, military, and development fields to enable the Kingdom to deal with the repercussions of regional crises.

The two sides called for intensifying efforts to move the peace process forward by relaunching serious and effective Palestinian-Israeli negotiations.

The King stressed the important role of the US in pushing the Israelis to take these efforts seriously.

Failure to reach a just and comprehensive solution to the Palestinian issue will undermine security and stability in the region and beyond, fuelling violence and extremism in the Middle East, His Majesty added.

Turning to the Syrian crisis, the two sides called for further efforts to reach a political solution to the conflict within the Geneva process that is accepted by all components of the Syrian community and which guarantees the country’s territorial integrity and the security of its people.

Talks also addressed the importance of the ceasefire agreement in southwest Syria, secured recently by Jordan, the US and Russia, and which can be replicated elsewhere in Syria.

His Majesty and President Trump also reaffirmed the importance of intensifying regional and international efforts to fight terrorism within a holistic strategy, as it threatens global peace and security.

Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi, Director of the Office of His Majesty Jafar Hassan, Planning Minister Imad Fakhoury, Jordan’s Permanent Representative to the UN Sima Bahous, and Jordan’s Ambassador in Washington, DC, Dina Kawar attended the meeting on the Jordanian side.

 

On the US side, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs H.R. McMaster, Senior Adviser to the President Jared Kushner, Deputy National Security Adviser Dina Powell and Assistant to the President and Special Representative for International Negotiations Jason Greenblatt were also in attendance.

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