Foreign minister holds meeting with focus on Mideast peace

AMMAN — Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi on Wednesday held a meeting with EU foreign policy chief, Federica Mogherini, Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shukri and Saeb Erekat, PLO’s executive committee secretary and chief Palestinian negotiator, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported. 

During the meeting, they discussed efforts to revive Palestinian-Israeli negotiations and stressed on the importance of progressing towards a two-state solution to end the conflict. 

The top diplomat also met with French Assistant Foreign Minister for Middle East Affairs Jerome Bonnafont, with whom he discussed the outcomes of the Arab summit, which concluded Wednesday.

The French diplomat congratulated Jordan for the success of the summit and its “distinguished level”.

For his part, Safadi said that the summit concluded with a “message of peace”, and a statement that Arabs want peace and progress towards a solution to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, in line with the Arab Peace Initiative. The overture, he noted, guarantees Israel security, acceptance in the neighbourhood and peace with all Arab countries, in return for withdrawal behind the 1967 lines. 

The proposed peace deal with Israel, he continued, should lead to the establishment of an independent Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital.

The foreign minister and French official also went over the other regional issues tackled by the Arab summit, including terrorism, the Syrian crisis and the situations in Libya, Iraq and Yemen, stressing the importance of bringing about stability in the region.

The two officials also discussed bilateral ties, saying that it is important for both sides to continue coordination and consultation over issues of mutual interest, according to Petra.