AMMAN — His Majesty King Abdullah on Tuesday discussed with Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif bilateral ties and the latest regional developments, especially the situation in Syria and the peace process.
During the meeting, Zarif conveyed to His Majesty greetings from Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, a Royal Court statement said.
On Syria, the King reiterated Jordan’s stance in support of an inclusive political solution that can safeguard the country’s territorial unity and end the suffering of its people, the Royal Court said.
Concerning the efforts exerted to achieve peace between the Palestinians and the Israelis, the Monarch re-emphasised that any solution should lead to the establishment of an independent Palestinian state according to the Arab Peace Initiative and international resolutions.
Means to enhance Jordanian-Iranian relations and other issues of mutual interest were also discussed during the meeting, the statement said.
For his part, Zarif voiced his country’s keenness on maintaining consultation and coordination with Jordan over challenges facing the Middle East, voicing appreciation for the King’s role in enhancing the concepts of co-existence, tolerance and dialogue among the region’s peoples and cultures and his initiatives towards that end.
The meeting was attended by Royal Court Chief Fayez Tarawneh, Foreign Minister Nasser Judeh, the King’s office director Imad Fakhoury, Iranian chargé d’affaires to Jordan and the delegation accompanying Zarif.
Also on Tuesday, Prime Minister Abdullah Ensour held talks with Zarif, attended by Judeh, which focused on regional developments and bilateral ties. Judeh also held separate talks with his Iranian peer.
According to a Jordanian official familiar with Zarif’s talks in Amman, the Iranian top diplomat voiced Tehran’s support for a “comprehensive dialogue” between the Syrian government and the opposition without “imposing foreign agendas”.
Also during the talks, the official said Zarif approached Amman to ask it to act as a “mediator” between Iran and Saudi Arabia, which Tehran accuses of carrying out a proxy war against Iran in Iraq, Syria and Lebanon in recent years, in order to improve ties between the staunch rivals ahead of the Geneva II peace conference.
In return, Iran is reportedly prepared to throw its full support behind the outcomes of Geneva II “without preconditions”, even accepting a limited role for President Bashar Assad in a proposed transition government, according to sources close to the Iranian delegation.
Should Riyadh act in kind, Arab and Iranian diplomats say Iran is prepared to pull back various Shiite Iraqi and Iranian militias it has allegedly dispatched to Syria over the past year in a bid to enforce a ceasefire during next week’s talks.
A favourable Saudi response to Jordan’s mediatory efforts may even result in full Iranian participation in the Geneva summit, the sources claimed.
The two sides also explored prospects of allowing Iranian religious tourism to the Kingdom, home to several sites and tombs revered by both Sunni and Shiite sects of Islam.
Zarif also renewed a previous Iranian offer to provide Jordan with natural gas and boost investment in the country’s energy sector. However, unlike his predecessors, Zarif did not link increased energy cooperation with political policies or any “reciprocal acts” from Jordan, the sources said.
