AMMAN — US Secretary of State John Kerry is due in Amman on Sunday, after concluding shuttle meetings with Palestinian and Israeli officials over the past three days, sources said on Saturday.
Although the visit was not announced, Kerry is scheduled to meet with His Majesty King Abdullah and senior officials, government sources told The Jordan Times.
Over the past three days, Kerry held intense talks with Israeli and Palestinian leaders.
American officials have privately said they believe the direct talks, resumed in July after a three-year hiatus, have reached a new phase as a late April deadline for an accord looms, but are struggling to overcome fierce opposition from both sides, the Agence France-Presse (AFP) reported on Saturday.
Palestinians protested against Kerry as he met President Mahmoud Abbas in the West Bank for six hours late on Friday, the AFP said, adding that about 100 people from the left-wing Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine waved Palestinian and red flags in Ramallah’s central square after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accused Abbas and the Palestinians of not being committed to peace.
The US official visited Jordan last November as part of a regional tour, where he met with King Abdullah and discussed peace efforts and the latest regional developments, in addition to the Syrian crisis and its impact on the Kingdom.
During his last visit, Kerry said the Kingdom is important to the peace process because “Jordan is not just a neighbour, not a passive bystander in this process. Jordan is integrally involved and has high stakes in the outcome of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict and the question of peace”.
“Jordan has a long border with Israel and the West Bank. The Palestinian territories and Jordan have been a partner for peace with Israel, with the United States and all those people who are looking for stability and peace and to end this conflict in the region,” Kerry told reporters then.
