AMMAN — Jordan deems protecting its higher strategic interests a top priority, especially those pertaining to final status issues between Israel and Palestine, His Majesty King Abdullah said on Wednesday.
During a meeting with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in Amman, the King said Jordan supports the Palestinians’ legitimate right to establish an independent and viable state on the 1967 border with East Jerusalem as its capital in accordance with the related international resolutions, the two-state solution and the 2002 Arab Peace Initiative.
His Majesty stressed the need to safeguard the rights and interests of the Palestinian people in the ongoing peace negotiations with Israel brokered by the US.
Abbas briefed King Abdullah on the course of the peace talks and the meetings with US Secretary of State John Kerry.
The meeting is part of the two leaderships’ coordination efforts, particularly during this “delicate” stage when the Palestinians and Israelis are developing a negotiating framework with the support of the US, according to a Royal Court statement.
For his part, the Palestinian president voiced his commitment to continuing coordination with Jordan and acquainting it with the latest developments in the negotiations.
Abbas commended King Abdullah’s efforts to urge the international community and stakeholders to support reaching a comprehensive and just solution for the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.
In a statement following the meeting, Abbas said his meetings with the Monarch would continue as usual, particularly in light of Kerry’s visits to the region.
“We are exchanging opinions with His Majesty about ideas presented to us in order to unify the Jordanian and Palestinian stances…,” he noted.
Also on Wednesday, Palestinian and Jordanian lawmakers expressed their rejection of any transitional, partial or temporary agreements that harm the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people, especially the refugees’ right of return.
