His Majesty King Abdullah’s two-and-a-half-hour meeting with US President Barack Obama in California took place at a critical time for the region.
With the Palestinian and Syrian conflicts at major crossroads, the next few weeks may well decide the fate of the efforts to bring about peaceful and durable resolutions to these two problems.
The timetable for the submission of the so-called “framework agreement” on the Palestinian-Israeli conflict has been extended beyond April, due to new hurdles raised by Israel, but it is important to realise that the language that is used in this framework accord could help advance the Palestinian quest for peace.
The Syrian conflict also entered a new phase with the start of the Geneva negotiating process, and after the failure of the two sessions of the Geneva II conference to register any meaningful breakthrough, Obama is now considering applying additional pressure on Damascus to break the deadlock in the peace talks.
Recognising that Jordan is in the eye of the storms raging in the Middle East, and that over 1,330,000 Syrians are living in the Kingdom at a time when the country’s financial and economic resources, and infrastructure are barely enough to cope with the needs of its own population, Obama announced his country’s decision to extend a $1 billion loan guarantee to Jordan and renew the annual $660 million aid package for an additional five-year period.
Given the strong strategic alliance between Amman and Washington, Jordan is not alone in facing the new threats to peace and security in the region.
The historically solid ties between Jordan and the US have withstood the test of time and are poised to grow even stronger.
The meeting between King Abdullah and Obama sends the clear message that the two countries share common perspectives on regional conflicts and are ready to work together to solve them.
