‘Jordan worried over lack of progress towards two-state solution’

AMMAN — Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates Ayman Safadi on Wednesday said that Jordan is “very worried” about the absence of prospects for advancing towards the two-state solution in the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.

During a press conference following discussions with Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukri over bilateral relations and regional developments, Safadi said that the Palestinian cause was in the forefront of the talks, a Foreign Ministry statement said.

“The situation is difficult, and it gets more dangerous with the absence of the prospect of ending the occupation, threatening the security and stability of the entire region,” Safadi added.

He noted the need for international action to resolve the conflict on the basis of the two-state solution with the establishment of an independent Palestinian state within the pre-1967 lines wth East Jerusalem as its capital.

During the meeting in Cairo, the two ministers elaborated on means of responding to recent developments in a manner that serves Arab causes and mutual interests, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

Safadi and Shoukri commended the level of coordination at various levels between the two countries, in line with directives from His Majesty King Abdullah and Egyptian President Abdul Fattah Sisi.

The top diplomats exchanged views and perspectives over methods of activating joint Arab action in facing challenges, enhancing regional security and stability, as well as developments related to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict and crises in Syria, Yemen and Libya, according to Petra.

On the Syrian conflict, Safadi stressed the need for an effective Arab role to deal with the crisis and reach a political solution to return stability to the neighbouring country.

He said that Jordan and Egypt support the Sweden peace talks to resolve the conflict in Yemen, and expressed hope that they would lead to a political solution.

Talks also went over the priorities for the coming period, in light of significant upcoming summits scheduled for the first quarter of 2019, including the Arab Economic and Social Development Summit, slated to be held in Beirut in January; the first Arab-EU summit, to be held in Egypt in February; and the 30th cycle of the Arab summit, which is scheduled for March in Tunisia.