King meets with US House speaker, leadership

AMMAN — His Majesty King Abdullah on Tuesday held a bilateral meeting with US House Speaker Kevin McCarthy in Washington, DC, followed by an expanded meeting with the House leadership.

At the bilateral meeting attended by Her Majesty Queen Rania and HRH Crown Prince Hussein, King Abdullah congratulated McCarthy on his election, expressing Jordan’s appreciation for the continuous support of the United States and its Congress, according to a Royal Court statement.

For his part, McCarthy highlighted the deep-rooted friendship between Jordan and the US, stressing keenness to enhance relations between the two countries, and expressing pride that His Majesty is the first leader he receives in Congress after being elected House speaker.

Moreover, McCarthy highlighted Jordan’s role, under the King’s leadership, in promoting peace in the Middle East, noting the longstanding friendship and cooperation with the Kingdom, which remains constant with the election of new House leadership, as Jordan continues to hold the respect of members of Congress.

 At the expanded meeting with the House leadership, His Majesty congratulated Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and Republican House Majority Leader Steve Scalise on their new positions.

The King reaffirmed the centrality of the Palestinian cause in the Middle East, calling for pushing towards relaunching the peace process, on the basis of the two-state solution, and noting the United States’ pivotal role in calling for calm and de-escalation.

His Majesty reiterated that just and comprehensive peace must lead to the establishment of an independent, viable, and sovereign state on the June 4, 1967 lines, with East Jerusalem as its capital, living side-by-side with Israel, reaffirming his rejection of unilateral measures that undermine peace prospects.

The King noted the series of meetings held among Arab leaders over the past weeks, aiming to step up efforts to find means to stop escalation in the West Bank as soon as possible.

His Majesty warned of the dangerous security repercussions of maintaining the status quo, which will lead to more loss of life, especially with the approach of the holy month of Ramadan.

The King reaffirmed the need to engage the Palestinians in all economic development opportunities in the region, noting that his meeting with US President Joe Biden, slated for Thursday, will cover the Palestinian cause and key issues in the region.

For their part, US House leadership members from both the Republican and the Democratic parties commended Jordan’s role in promoting peace, highlighting the importance of the Hashemite Custodianship of Islamic and Christian holy sites in Jerusalem.

They also expressed appreciation of the Kingdom’s efforts in hosting refugees, and providing them with humanitarian, education and health services.

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi, Director of the Office of His Majesty Jafar Hassan and Jordan’s Ambassador in Washington, DC, Dina Kawar attended the meetings.