Jordan, UN review pro-peace partnership

AMMAN — Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates Ayman Safadi on Monday met with senior UN officials participating in a meeting for the heads of UN political and peacekeeping missions in the region.

During the meeting that was held in Amman, they discussed cooperation between the Kingdom and the UN in efforts to resolve regional crises and address humanitarian and security fallouts, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

Safadi stressed that the Kingdom is keen on boosting its partnership with the UN and enhancing cooperation to meet the needs of refugees.

The UN officials commended Jordan’s key role in promoting regional security and stability, as well as the country’s humanitarian stance towards Syrian refugees.

Talks also went over regional developments, with Safadi stressing that the Palestinian cause is at the core of conflicts and tensions in the region, highlighting that the only way to achieve comprehensive peace is through resolving the Palestinian-Israeli conflict on the basis of a two-state solution that guarantees the establishment of an independent Palestinian state within the pre-1967 lines, with East Jerusalem as its capital.

On the sidelines of the meeting, Safadi met with UN Undersecretary General for Political Affairs Rosemary DiCarlo to discuss means of enhancing the partnership between Jordan and the international body.

The minister also met with UN Undersecretary General for Peacekeeping Operations Jean-Pierre Lacroix and expressed the country’s pride in its participation in UN peacekeeping missions, stressing that the Kingdom supports the secretary general’s efforts to ensure the effectiveness of these operations.

Safadi also discussed with Special Representative of the UN Secretary General for Iraq Jan Kubis the latest developments in the neighbouring country and the UN mission’s efforts to help the country restore security and stability, affirming Jordan’s support to Iraq in its bid to consolidate stability and initiate the post-Daesh reconstruction process.

Also on Monday, Safadi met with UN Special Envoy to Syria Staffan de Mistura, during which he called for addressing the Syrian crisis through new approaches that take into account the reality on the ground, aim to end the crisis and help Syrians restore security and stability.

He said that protecting Syria and preserving its unity and independence should be the objective that all efforts seek to achieve.

“The absence of an Arab role in the efforts to resolve the crisis is unacceptable,” Safadi told the UN envoy, noting that a positive Arab contribution is key to reaching a political solution acceptable to Syrians.

For his part, de Mistura voiced his appreciation to His Majesty King Abdullah and his continued support for efforts to resolve the Syrian crisis and reach a political solution.

As the end of his term as UN envoy to Syria approaches, he said, it was necessary to exert an additional effort and explore every means to push forward the political process in Syria.