Jordan Times
Friday, January 14, 2005
King receives NATO secretary general
AMMAN (Petra) His Majesty King Abdullah on Thursday received NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer, who is currently on a tour of the Middle East to discuss regional developments, including the Kingdom's relations with NATO.
Royal Court Minister Samir Rifai and Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of State for Prime Ministry Affairs and Government Performance Marwan Muasher also attended the meeting.
Scheffer, who left Jordan today after a two-day visit, described his meeting with the King as extremely successful, noting that discussions revolved around areas of mutual cooperation and stressing that the Kingdom has been a pillar of strength in a very volatile region.
I met with Jordanian officials and we agreed on several areas for NATO-Jordanian cooperation as NATO is ready and keen to work with Jordan on a wider range of cooperation, said Scheffer. The Kingdom's role in the Iraqi election process is vital, he added.
At a lecture given at the World Affairs Council in Amman yesterday, Scheffer expressed optimism for the future of Iraq and Palestine. The planned national elections will be a major contribution to the development of a sovereign, stable Iraq. He also outlined NATO's contribution to the training of Iraqi security forces. NATO's Mediterranean Dialogue was launched in 1994 as a policy to build new relationships across the Mediterranean following the end of the cold war. The Kingdom joined the dialogue in 1995 and has been an active participant. In recent years, Jordan has played a significant role in the Mediterranean Dialogue's military programme which includes training at NATO establishments and holding regular meetings with NATO counterparts. Also yesterday, King Abdullah met with Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Saltanov and reviewed developments in Palestine and Iraq. The Monarch underlined the need for supporting the new Palestinian leadership's efforts to rebuild Palestinian institutions. He said Jordan backs the coming elections in Iraq and supports all endeavours to guarantee Iraq's sovereignty, stability and territorial integrity.