King meets US vice president, senior administration officials

AMMAN — His Majesty King Abdullah met on Monday with senior US administration officials, with discussions covering means to bolster Jordan’s strategic partnership with the US, as well as current regional developments.

At a meeting with US Vice President Mike Pence, the two sides affirmed the deep-rooted Jordanian-US ties, and their keenness to build on them in various areas, as well as maintaining coordination and consultation on regional and international issues.

Discussions covered Jordan’s economic plans and reforms, aimed at rejuvenating growth and increasing the Jordanian economy’s resilience in the face of regional challenges.

The two sides also discussed Jordanian-US economic cooperation, and the renewal of the memorandum of understanding between the two countries, which will set the volume of economic and military support for the coming years.

King Abdullah expressed appreciation for the US’ constant support for the Kingdom, which bolsters development efforts.

Discussions at the meeting also touched on efforts to achieve peace between the Palestinians and Israelis.

His Majesty affirmed the importance of the US administration’s commitment to this issue, calling for intensifying efforts to relaunch serious and effective negotiations based on the two-state solution, the Arab Peace Initiative and international terms of reference.

The King and Vice President Pence discussed other crises in the Middle East, including the Syrian crisis and efforts to reach a political solution, as well as the developments in Iraq.

Moreover, discussions addressed regional and international efforts to fight terrorism in line with a holistic strategy.

For his part, Vice President Pence expressed his appreciation of Jordan’s steadfast positions, led by His Majesty, supporting security and stability in the region.

The meeting with Assistant to the US President for National Security Affairs H. R. McMaster covered Jordanian-US security cooperation and developments in the region, as well as cooperation in line with regional and global efforts to fight terrorism within a holistic approach.

The King stressed that failure to reach a just and comprehensive solution to the Palestinian cause will fuel further extremism and violence in the Middle East.

His Majesty held separate meetings with US Secretary of Defence Jim Mattis, Senior Adviser to the US President Jared Kushner and several members of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee.

 Discussions at these meetings tackled the strategic partnership between Jordan and the US at various levels, efforts to push the Palestinian-Israeli peace process forward and current developments in the region.

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.