FM, UN chief talk efforts to restore calm at Al Aqsa Mosque over phone

AMMAN — Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates Ayman Safadi, on Friday, received a phone call from UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres to discuss efforts exerted to restore calm in Al Aqsa Mosque/Haram Al Sharif compound, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

Safadi urged Israel to respect the historical and legal status quo of the mosque and lift all restrictions imposed on worshippers and the Jordan-run Jerusalem Awqaf and Aqsa Affairs Department, which is the only entity that organises Al Aqsa Mosque/Al Haram Al Sharif's affairs, in order to restore calm in the holy city.

Israel's halt of non-Muslims from entering the mosque will contribute to cementing all efforts aiming at the de-escalation, namely, in the last 10 days of the holy month of Ramadan, Safadi stressed during the phone call.

Safadi also stressed the need for immediate and effective action to find “a real political horizon” that restores hope and confidence in the feasibility of the peace process and achieves progress towards achieving a just peace on the basis of the two-state solution.

Guterres stressed the need to intensify and unite efforts to maintain calm, especially in these “blessed days”, and the need to respect the historical status quo and stop provocative actions.

Safadi praised Guterres' stance that calls for respecting the historical status quo of the holy sites and his efforts aiming at restoring calm and reinvigorating the peace process on the basis of the two-state solution.