FM calls Russian peer over Jerusalem, Syria

AMMAN — Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi on Tuesday discussed with Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov the escalation at Al Aqsa Mosque/Al Haram Al Sharif and efforts to restore calm to Jerusalem’s holy places.

The two ministers also discussed a de-escalation plan reached by Jordan, Russia and the US to implement a ceasefire in southwest Syria, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.  

On Jerusalem, Safadi stressed the need to join efforts to reverse the escalation at the holy shrines and for Israel to “immediately and completely” reopen Al Aqsa Mosque, which occupation authorities closed on Friday following a shooting that left three Palestinian gunmen and two occupation soldiers dead. 

Lavrov expressed an identical stand, calling for restoring normalcy and preventing any aggravation of the situation, while efforts to relaunch peace talks should be reived.

The two sides agreed to continue their pursuit of calm in Syria through the implementation of the de-escalation deal, which was signed recently in Amman.