Absence of solution to Mideast conflict fuels extremism — King

AMMAN — His Majesty King Abdullah on Tuesday discussed bilateral relations and the latest regional developments with the Speaker of the US House of Representatives Paul Ryan.

During the meeting, His Majesty voiced appreciation for Washington's support to Amman in various fields, highlighting the pivotal role of the US lawmakers in enhancing the Jordanian-American relations, according to a Royal Court statement.

The King also reviewed the various challenges facing Jordan as a result of the regional crises and the Kingdom's burdens ensuing from hosting a large number of Syrian refugees, emphasising in this regard on the need to build on the outcomes of the London conference for Syria's donors, the statement said.

Talks also covered the latest developments in the Middle East, especially in Syria and the international counterterrorism efforts, the statement added.

The Monarch also stressed the need for intensified international efforts to end the stalemate in the Palestinian-Israeli peace talks that would ultimately lead to the establishment of an independent Palestinian state on the basis of the two-state solution.

The King also underlined that the absence of a solution to the long-running Palestinian-Israeli conflict will ignite more radicalism in the region, the statement said.

For their part, Ryan and the accompanying congressional delegation from the Republican and Democratic parties expressed appreciation for the King’s efforts to achieve peace and stability in the region.

The meeting was attended by HRH Prince Feisal, Royal Court Chief Fayez Tarawneh, the King’s Office Director Jafar Hassan and the US Ambassador to Jordan Alice G. Wells.

Also on Tuesday, Prime Minister Abdullah Ensour held talks with Ryan and his accompanying delegation on means to enhance bilateral ties and current regional issues. 

During the meeting, Ensour voiced appreciation for the US’ support to Jordan, adding that the Kingdom has succeeded in maintaining its stability and security despite the regional turbulence, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

Although Jordan is a small country with limited resources, Ensour said, it hosts around 3 million refugees from Syria, Palestine and Iraq, adding that the Kingdom is relying immensely on the outcomes of the London conference to be able to deal with the refugee pressure.

The meeting was attended by Minister of Political and Parliamentary Affairs Khaled Kalaldeh, Minister of State for Media Affairs and Communications Mohammad Momani and US Ambassador Wells.

In a separate meeting, Foreign Minister Nasser Judeh discussed with Ryan and his colleagues strategic Jordanian-US partnerships and the latest regional and international developments. 

The two sides also discussed means to combat the rising terrorism and radicalism in line with a comprehensive approach, Petra reported.

On Syria, Judeh reiterated Jordan’s “unaltered stance”, which advocates a comprehensive political solution to the ongoing war in the northern neighbourhood that can put an end to the suffering of the Syrian people and safeguard its territorial unity of their country.