Jordan Times
Thursday, April 8, 2004
King, Assad say obstacles facing Arab summit must be removed
By Alia Shukri Hamzeh
AMMAN — His Majesty King Abdullah and Syrian President Bashar Assad agreed
Wednesday on the need to remove all obstacles hindering the convening of the
Arab summit that was postponed by Tunisia late last month, a senior official
said.
Foreign Affairs Minister Marwan Muasher said King Abdullah and Assad stressed
that an Arab consensus is a must to tackle crucial regional issues, including
the widely debated reforms.
Assad arrived in Amman yesterday for talks with King Abdullah on the upcoming
Arab summit, expected to endorse wide-ranging reforms in the Middle East, revive
the defunct peace process and revamp the 22-member Arab League.
Last month in Tunis, Arab states were not in agreement on the reforms issue.
Some countries supported the idea, while others were reluctant and a third group
insisted that it was not the right time for discussing reforms, diplomats said.
Several Arab states insisted that there was an urgency to endorse such reforms
before they are imposed on the region from outside, referring to the US'
“Greater Middle East Initiative,” which will be presented to the G-8 summit in
June.
Muasher told reporters, following the two leaders' meeting, that the upcoming
summit, expected in May, would be successful. He said King Abdullah and Assad
held positive talks.
“We are satisfied with the results of the talks. It was clear that the
atmosphere indicates that the summit will be successful,” Muasher said.
He said Tunisia has extended a new call for the summit and Arab League Secretary
General Amr Musa was “active in making contacts with all Arab countries to have
consensus on the venue.”
Tunisia's sudden postponement irked some Arab countries, who seem reluctant on
going back for fear of a repeat performance. Egypt has offered to host the
summit, but Tunisia insists it reserves that right.
Muasher reiterated on Wednesday that the venue should not be a cause of
disagreement, adding that the timing and the content of the summit are what
counts.
Assad's visit to Jordan, en-route from Qatar, aims at reassuring Amman that the
recently apprehended members of a terrorist cell driving explosives-laden
vehicles had not entered the Kingdom via Syrian borders. Jordanian authorities
announced last week they arrested individuals who belonged to a terrorist group
and were driving a truck carrying explosives. They reportedly entered the
Kingdom from the Syrian borders and were planning to mount terror attacks
against vital public institutions and embassies. The authorities were looking
for additional two explosives-laden cars and three terrorists. Damascus has
denied the vehicles came from Syria, while Jordan rushed to quell the
neighbouring country's anxiety over the incident, saying Syrian authorities may
have not been aware of such vehicles crossing their borders.
Muasher told reporters the issue was not raised in the talks between both
leaders. “Investigations are currently under way and we are confident that Syria
has nothing to do with these operations,” he added.
According to the Jordan News Agency, Petra, the King and Assad stressed the need
to revive the Middle East peace process and called for an “end to the cycle of
violence and Israeli practices against the Palestinians.” They also expressed
concern over the recent developments in Iraq and urged the United Nations to
assume a bigger role in the war-torn country over the coming period.
“Everyone is concerned over the recent developments in Iraq and we have always
warned against the danger of slipping into a civil war and the need to intensify
all efforts to avoid this from happening,” Muasher said.
He added that the King would relay such concerns to US President George W. Bush
during his visit to Washington later this month.
Muasher brushed aside news reports that Jordan was acting as an intermediary
between Washington and Damascus saying, “the way to solve differences between
both is through dialogue and we hope this will happen.”
On the bilateral level, Muasher said King Abdullah and Assad discussed ways to
bolster economic ties, adding that there was mutual interest in increasing joint
projects.
A meeting of the Syrian-Jordanian Higher Committee is expected to convene soon,
after both sides set a date, Muasher added.
As part of the two countries' strategic cooperation, the two leaders in February
launched the construction of Al Wihdeh Dam on the Yarmouk River.