Jordan urges more efforts towards peace in Syria, Mideast

AMMAN — Jordan on Saturday, Friday and Thursday examined the latest developments in Palestine and Syria, reaffirming the need to achieve a political solution in the war-torn country and revive Palestinian-Israeli peace talks.

On Saturday, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Nasser Judeh discussed developments in Palestine with Saeb Erekat, the chief Palestinian negotiator with Israel, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported. 

During a meeting, Judeh stressed Jordan’s belief that the Palestinian cause is a core issue and that peace negotiations must be revived to reach a two-state solution, under which an independent Palestinian state is established with East Jerusalem as its capital. 

In talks over the phone with his Russian and Egyptian counterparts, Judeh reiterated Jordan’s firm stance since the beginning of the Syrian crisis, stressing that the importance of arriving at a political solution with the participation of all components of the Syrian community. 

The political agreement should be on the basis of the principles of the Geneva 1 communiqué and the UN Security Council Resolution No. 2254, Judeh noted, according to Petra.

Discussions with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on Friday also focused on the latest developments in Aleppo and the importance of implementing the decision on cessation of hostilities in Syria’s largest city.

The two officials stressed the importance of supporting efforts to achieve a political solution, stressing their commitment to continuing coordination, cooperation and consultations.

Lavrov commended Jordan’s pivotal role and efforts to achieve stability in the region and the world.

In the same context, Judeh and his Egyptian counterpart Sameh Shoukry discussed the latest developments in the region and the Syrian crisis, stressing the importance of cessation of military operations in Aleppo.

During a telephone conversation on Thursday, the two officials also reviewed the developments in the Palestinian territories and efforts exerted to relaunch serious and effective time-bound negotiations to arrive at the two-state solution and the establishment of an independent Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital, on the basis of the pre-1967 lines.