Jordan, Palestine warn against persisting deadlock in peace process

AMMAN — Jordan and Palestine on Sunday warned against the continued stalemate in the Mideast peace talks, renewing a call for swift action to reinvigorate the process.

During talks in Amman, Minister of Foreign and Expatriates Affairs Ayman Safadi on Sunday and Secretary General of the Executive Committee of the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO) Saeb Erekat “warned of the perils inherent in the current political deadlock and stressed the need to launch effective and immediate steps to end the occupation and spare the region more tensions and conflicts,” the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

Safadi discussed with Erekat ways of continuing coordination and joint action to break the stalemate in peace efforts and work sincerely towards a two-state solution that guarantees the establishment of an independent Palestinian state within the June 4, 1967 lines with East Jerusalem as its capital.

Safadi outlined efforts exerted by the Kingdom to push forward the peace efforts, address the financial deficit of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) and provide the agency with financial and political support, to render it capable of fulfilling its responsibilities towards the Palestinian refugees in accordance with its UN mandate.

Both officials underlined the need to support the agency to continue its services, noting that the issue of refugees is a final status issue in accordance with Resolution 194 and the Arab Peace Initiative.

Safadi and Erekat reviewed efforts to achieve national reconciliation in Gaza, stressing support for the Egyptian efforts exerted towards that goal, with Safadi underlying Jordan’s firm stance in supporting national concord efforts, under the “legitimate leadership of the Palestinian National Authority and President Mahmoud Abbas”.

Erekat commended Jordan’s efforts to support the Palestinian people and their right to establish their state on their national soil based on the two-state solution, Petra said.

Jordan has embarked on an aggressive diplomatic drive to salvage UNRWA after cuts to US aid to the agency. Safadi on Saturday made a telephone call with his Turkish counterpart Mouloud Gawishoglu to coordinate efforts to support the agency at the financial and political levels.

UNRWA’s financial deficit exceeds $217 million and Jordan is coordinating with donor countries to resolve the deficit, especially if Washington insists that no further support will be provided to the agency.

Safadi has already held talks on UNRWA’s financial crisis with US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, Swedish Foreign Minister Margot Wallstrom, EU High Representative for Foreign Policy Federica Mogherini and UNRWA Commissioner General Pierre Krahenbuhl.

He has also discussed efforts to support the agency with Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shukri, Secretary General of the Arab League Ahmed Aboul Gheit and Secretary of the Executive Committee of the Palestine Liberation Organisation Saeb Erekat.