Jerusalem, refugees and anti-terror top King’s agenda in NY

AMMAN — His Majesty King Abdullah focused on the Syrian refugee crisis and Israeli violations in Jerusalem during a series of meetings held in New York on the sidelines of his participation in the 70th Plenary Session of the United Nations General Assembly.

King Abdullah on Monday met with UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon and discussed with him the importance of international support to provide for the basic needs of the Syrian refugees and enable  countries hosting them to bear the accumulating burden.

The meeting, attended by HRH Crown Prince Hussein, covered efforts to achieve peace and stability in the region and the world, and stressed the importance of reviving the Palestinian-Israeli peace negotiations on the basis of the two-state solution.

According to a UN statement e-mailed to The Jordan Times, the secretary general thanked Jordan for so generously hosting Syrian refugees and stressed the importance of ensuring that border crossings remain open for all refugees. 

The secretary general expressed deep concern about the security threats posed by extremist elements from Syria and Iraq. 

On the Middle East peace process, the secretary general stressed the importance of a return to negotiations for a two-state solution. He thanked Jordan for its important role as custodian of the holy sites in Jerusalem.

Finally the secretary general referred to the 70th General Assembly general debate’s focus on the Sustainable Development Goals, and asked for Jordan’s support in translating these goals into action and national programmes. 

Also on Monday, His Majesty met with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al Sisi over the recent and recurrent Israeli violations at Al Haram Al Sharif in Jerusalem and their dangerous repercussions on stability and security in the region.

During the meeting, which was also attended by Crown Prince Hussein, the two leaders discussed reviving peace negotiations between the Palestinian-Israeli sides on the basis of the two-state solution, which will lead to the establishment of an independent Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital.

Sisi commended King Abdullah’s efforts to preserve the Islamic and Christian sanctuaries in the holy city.

The two leaders stressed the importance of continued coordination of positions on regional developments, especially regarding terrorism and the repercussions of the Syrian crisis.

They also renewed their stance that calls for a political solution to the Syrian crisis that preserves the country’s territorial integrity and the unity of its people. 

Sisi highlighted the importance of having the international community support Jordan, which hosts “the largest” number of Syrian refugees in the region. 

The meeting was also attended by Royal Court Chief Fayez Tarawneh, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Nasser Judeh, and Jordan’s permanent representative at the United Nations Dina Kawar. 

King Abdullah also met with Senegalese President Macky Sall, with whom he agreed that the international community should increase effort and coordination to combat terrorism.

The talks covered cooperation between Jordan and Senegal, especially in the economic and trade fields.

In this context, the two sides announced that a Jordanian embassy would be opened soon in Dakar, the capital of Senegal, to showcase the depth of the special bilateral relations.

For his part, Sall commended His Majesty’s efforts to enhance peace and security in the Middle East.

At another meeting, King Abdullah discussed with Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud ways to counter terrorism in the Middle East and the world. 

Both meetings with the African leaders were attended by Crown Prince Hussein.

King Abdullah also met separately over bilateral ties, and regional and international issues of mutual concern with President of Poland Andrzej Duda and Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni.

At a Sunday meeting attended by the Crown Prince, His Majesty discussed with US Secretary of State John Kerry the continued Israeli violations at Al Haram Al Sharif in Jerusalem.

The Monarch also stressed that Jordan continues to seek a political solution to the crisis in Syria, one which safeguards Syria’s unity.

He discussed the burdens borne by Jordan as a result of hosting a large number of Syrian refugees, stressing that the international community needs to shoulder its responsibilities to enable the Kingdom to carry out its humanitarian responsibilities. 

Kerry briefed King Abdullah on US efforts aimed at resuming peace negotiations in the Middle East and confronting terrorism and radicalism, highlighting the importance of Jordan’s role in combating terror groups. 

The US official expressed his appreciation of Jordan’s role, led by King Abdullah, in supporting peace efforts in the region.    

The meeting was attended by Royal Court Chief Fayez Tarawneh, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Nasser Judeh, King’s Office Director Jafar Hassan, King’s Adviser and Rapporteur of the National Policies Council Abdullah Wreikat, Jordan’s Ambassador to the US Alia Bouran, and Jordan’s permanent representative at the United Nations Dina Kawar.

Aid programmes in Jordan

King Abdullah met with British Prime Minister David Cameron and World Bank President Jim Yong Kim in a trilateral meeting on Sunday that focused on expanding Jordan’s aid programmes to support continued sheltering of Syrian refugees. 

According to a Royal Court statement, the meeting, also attended by Crown Prince Hussein, addressed the repercussions of the Syrian refugee influx on the Kingdom, ways to provide grants and soft financial tools to Jordan, and intensifying international efforts to help it fulfil the basic needs of Syrian refugees.

The meeting also featured discussions on means to upgrade the infrastructure of development zones in the Kingdom, as well as enhance and attract investments to these facilities.

The King also stressed the need to support the resilience of Jordan’s host communities by facilitating the flow of exports, especially to Europe, and providing jobs for residents of governorates hosting the largest numbers of refugees. 

The meeting was attended by Hassan and Planning and International Cooperation Minister Imad Fakhoury. 

Clinton Global Initiative

During a meeting on the sidelines of the Clinton Global Initiative’s annual summit in New York, former US president Bill Clinton said Jordan is shouldering a great burden on behalf of the international community and called for greater assistance to the Kingdom to ensure that Jordanian host communities are not negatively impacted by the influx of Syrian refugees, according to a Royal Court statement. 

At the meeting, King Abdullah highlighted the repercussions of the Syrian refugee influx on host communities, especially the mounting pressure on  the education, health, water, infrastructure, municipal services and energy sectors in Jordan.

Since the beginning of the crisis in Syria, which is in its fifth year, Jordan has absorbed more than 1.4 million Syrian refugees.

Addressing the attendees, King Abdullah underscored the importance of drawing investments to the country to help it deal with economic challenges and to ease the various burdens emerging as a result the refugee influx, the statement said.   

Launched in 2005, the Clinton Global Initiative seeks to join world leaders, politicians, economists, academics, Nobel laureates and representatives of civil society organisations and media outlets to come up with and implement solutions for global challenges.  

Also on Sunday, His Majesty discussed efforts against terrorism, which threatens regional and global security, with Kosovo’s President Atifete Jahjaga.

At the meeting, which was also attended by Crown Prince Hussein, the King called for coordinating anti-terrorism efforts and disseminating the values of Islam, namely tolerance and moderation. 

Talks also addressed regional developments and international efforts to arrive at a political solution for the crisis in Syria. 

In this regard, King Abdullah reiterated that international organisations and donors should further support Jordan to help it pursue its humanitarian mission. 

Kosovo’s president expressed her appreciation of the efforts led by His Majesty to boost regional peace and commended Jordan’s humanitarian assistance to Syrian refugees. 

During a meeting with Mali’s President Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta on Sunday, King Abdullah stressed the importance of drawing up a strategy to confront the global danger of terrorism. 

The meeting addressed ways to coordinate regional and global efforts to combat terrorism.