Jordan Times
Monday, February 21, 2005
Amman returns envoy to Tel Aviv
TEL AVIV (AFP) — A new Jordanian ambassador arrived in Israel on Sunday, marking the resumption of top-level diplomatic ties after a four-year hiatus due to the Palestinian uprising.
"He has arrived in Israel," a spokeswoman at the
embassy in Tel Aviv told AFP. "We expect he will present his credentials later
in the week."
Israeli sources said new envoy Marouf Bakhit, whose previous post was ambassador
to Turkey, would meet Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom on Monday before presenting
his credentials to President Moshe Katsav at a later date.
Jordan and Egypt — the only two Arab states to have peace treaties with Israel —
announced the return of their ambassadors after a Palestinian-Israeli peace
summit in the Egyptian Red Sea resort of Sharm El Sheikh on February 8.
Egypt withdrew its ambassador shortly after the outbreak of the Palestinian
Intifada in September 2000, while Amman did not replace a departing envoy in
protest at Israel's actions to quell the uprising.
Bakhit is a retired army major general with a doctorate in political science who
served as head of the state committee that oversaw the implementation of the
1994 peace treaty between Jordan and Israel.
Jordanian Foreign Minister Hani Mulki said last week that Bakhit would not only
be tasked with improving ties with Israel but also helping to advance the
overall Middle East peace process.
"We hope he will be able to do his job in a manner to improve ties as well as
help advance the peace process," Mulki said.
Jordan's main objective is a two-state solution leading to the establishment of
an independent Palestinian state living side-by-side a secure Israel, in line
with the internationally drafted Middle East peace roadmap.
Following the election in January of moderate Mahmoud Abbas as the new leader of
the Palestinian Authority to replace the late Yasser Arafat, Jordan pledged to
help push forward Middle East peace.