'No economic proposition can replace two-state solution'

AMMAN — Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi on Saturday met with Saeb Erekat, secretary general of the Palestinian Liberation Organisation (PLO), to discuss furthering cooperation between Jordan and Palestine. 

The two sides reiterated that no economic propositions or notions can substitute for a two-state solution that guarantees Palestinians their right to an independent state established along the June 4, 1967 lines, with East Jerusalem as its capital.

Safadi and Erekat reaffirmed their condemnation of Israel’s continuing construction of illegal settlements on occupied Palestinian territory, and their rejection of the illegal annexation of Palestinian land in breach of international law. 

They noted that the case of Palestine refugees is a final status issue that must be addressed through international legitimacy resolutions, mainly Resolution 194, which guarantees the rights of return and compensation, and the Arab Peace Initiative.

During the meeting, Safadi highlighted the Kingdom’s firm stance in support of the Palestinian cause and refugees, and His Majesty King Abdullah’s conditions for comprehensive peace.

The minister noted that peace cannot be achieved unless the Palestinians have their right to freedom and Jerusalem is liberated and instated as the capital of an independent Palestinian state.  

For his part, Erekat expressed his appreciation for His Majesty and the Kingdom’s historic stance in support of the Palestinians’ rights, affirming the significance of the Hashemite Custodianship in protecting Jerusalem’s Muslim and Christian holy sites, and maintaining the city’s legal and historic status quo.