Common causes and visions

The official visit to the Kingdom of Lebanese President Michel Aoun for talks with His Majesty King Abdullah and Jordanian officials was the third foreign trip the Lebanese president made since his election on October 31 last year. 

He had visited Riyadh for talks with the Saudi king and Cairo where he held talks with the Egyptian president.

The Lebanese leader has been actively seeking to reconnect with Arab leaders, to make his country come out from years of semi-paralysis due to political instability and the two-year impasse over the election of a president.

The King and the Lebanese president had, of course, many issues to talk about, including on the activation of the higher Jordanian-Lebanese committee to increase cooperation and discuss a free trade agreement.

The Lebanese president stressed the importance of holding the Arab summit in Jordan, a country at peace in a sea of war, a country that has for many long years championed the cause of Arab brethren and that had the vision, which comes from wisdom and experience, to predict where things were going, unfortunately without being heeded, and where the solutions to many ills in the region lie, solutions that, belatedly, are being acknowledged by many in the region and beyond.

The two leaders also reaffirmed their commitment to fighting terrorism, which has destabilised the region and poses a threat to the entire world, and to seeking a viable and sustainable solution to the Syrian refugees crisis.

Both Jordan and Lebanon have given shelter to millions of Syrian refugees fleeing the devastation in their country, and both have to live with the burden that comes with it.

Like Jordan, Lebanon is a pivotal Arab country that has an important role to play in promoting peace and security for neighbouring Syria.

As such, it is important to build on the international efforts so far in order to maintain the fragile ceasefire in Syria, a sine qua non to arriving at a political solution in Geneva.

Both leaders stressed the need for common Arab endeavours to help the region face its many challenges and for coordinating efforts to help overcome crises in some Arab countries.

Aoun’s visit is bound to strengthen the already deep-rooted ties between the two countries and is yet another proof of the high esteem Jordan is held in among Arab brethren.