Jordan Times
Tuesday, March 1, 2005
Khader says King's visit to
Israel 'possible', but no confirmation
By Mahmoud Al Abed
AMMAN — A senior official on Monday said a visit by His Majesty King Abdullah to
Israel was “possible,” but no decision has been taken yet.
“We do not have any confirmed information that such a visit has been decided,
but at the same time we do not rule it out,” Government Spokesperson Asma Khader
told her weekly press conference yesterday.
Khader, also minister of culture, said Jordan was ready to take any move to
support the Palestinians help achieve peace in the region. She was responding to
a report by Israel's Haaretz daily quoting Arab Israeli members of the Knesset,
who were visiting Jordan on Sunday, as saying that “King Abdullah was
considering extending a trip to the Palestinian Authority and Israel in the
coming weeks.”
They said Prime Minister Faisal Fayez told them that the Monarch “will soon
visit the territories and that he was considering the option of stopping in
Israel,” Haaretz reported.
Meanwhile, Foreign Minister Hani Mulki said he is to visit the Palestinian
territories and Israel next week for talks on efforts to revive the peace
process.
Mulki, who left yesterday for London to take part in the London conference on
Palestinian reform, told Al Rai and The Jordan Times that his talks with Israeli
officials will include issues related to bilateral agreements and the Jordanian
prisoners in Israeli jails.
Haaretz yesterday quoted Knesset member Ahmed Tibi as telling Fayez and Mulki in
Amman that the Israeli government “is not currently prepared to release the
prisoners.”
But Khader said that the Kingdom “insists on releasing the prisoners.”
The prisoners, estimated at 25, are to go on a hunger strike today, demanding
their freedom.
Khader expressed Jordan's “solidarity with the prisoners and their families,”
stressing that the government was “closely following on the issue.”
Also Monday, Khader said she had no information on talks between Jordanian,
Israeli and Syrian officials at the Dead Sea.
“We support all efforts that would activate the peace process in line with the
Arab Peace Initiative,” adopted by the Beirut Arab summit in 2002, calling for
Israel's withdrawal from occupied Arab territories in return for normal ties
with the Arab world.
Faisal Malkawi and Majid Amir contributed to this report.