British lawmakers briefed on Jordan’s stands on regional issues

AMMAN — His Majesty King Abdullah on Sunday received a delegation from the British House of Commons comprising members of the Council for the Advancement of Arab-British Understanding and the All-Party Parliamentary Jordan Group headed by Deputy Crispin Blunt.

At the meeting, held at Husseiniya Palace, His Majesty discussed with the British lawmakers ways to develop friendship and cooperation between the two countries in all fields, a Royal Court statement said.

The discussions also tackled the latest developments in the Middle East, endeavours to achieve peace in the region and regional and international efforts exerted to counter the threat posed by terrorist organisations and extremist ideology, which threaten the global security. 

King Abdullah stressed Jordan’s stance in support of all endeavours meant to achieve a comprehensive and just peace in the region, leading to the establishment of an independent Palestinian state within the pre-1967 lines with East Jerusalem as its capital, in line with the two-state solution, international resolutions and the Arab Peace Initiative. 

His Majesty reaffirmed that the Kingdom is continuing with its efforts to safeguard and maintain the Islamic and Christian holy sites in Jerusalem, in addition to supporting the city’s residents and preserving their rights under the Hashemite custodianship over the holy sites in the city.

The King also reiterated the importance of reaching a comprehensive political solution to the Syrian crisis that guarantees the unity of Syrian territory and people. He outlined the efforts Jordan is exerting to address the repercussions of the crisis, especially those ensuing from hosting hundreds of thousands of Syrian refugees.

For their part, the delegates praised the Kingdom’s efforts, under the leadership of King Abdullah, to achieve peace and security in the region and to deal with regional challenges. 

Royal Court Chief Fayez Tarawneh, King’s Office Director Jafar Hassan and British Ambassador to Jordan Peter Millett also attended the meeting. 

Also on Sunday, Prime Minister Abdullah Ensour met with the delegation members and reviewed the latest developments in the region, especially the Palestinian issue and the repercussions of the Syrian crisis on Jordan.

In this regard, Ensour said that all the problems and challenges the Middle East is facing are attributed to the absence of a just solution to the Palestinian issue as a result of Israel’s refusal to implement related international legitimacy resolutions.

He also outlined the comprehensive reforms Jordan is implementing, in spite of difficult regional circumstances. 

Foreign Minister Nasser Judeh also met with the visiting delegation and discussed with them cooperation between the two countries, in addition to coordination on different issues.

The meeting addressed efforts exerted to fight extremism and terrorism, where participants stressed the importance of international cooperation to counter this threat.

Judeh asserted that “we are at the forefront of the efforts fighting this phenomenon and all other acts that contradict with the teachings of Islam and its moderate message”.