Monday, April 12, 2004
King to Bush: Israel's Gaza pullout should be part of road map
AMMAN, April 12 (Petra) - His Majesty King
Abdullah expressed his strong support of America's two-state solution for the
Palestinian-Israeli conflict in a letter sent to U.S. President George W. Bush
days before the two leaders are to meet, the official Petra news agency said
Sunday.
"We strongly back (your) vision, which focuses on establishing two states, as a
way to end the Palestinian-Israeli conflict," His Majesty told Bush in the
letter.
“This is the only acceptable solution that will guarantee stability in the
region and achieve prosperity and security for its people," said King Abdullah,
who is scheduled to leave to the United States this week for a meeting with Bush
on April 21.
His Majesty said an Israeli withdrawal from Gaza Strip should be "part and
parcel" of the U.S.-backed peace plan known as the road map. "The pullout should
not be an alternative to the road map," he warned.
The road map envisions an end to
Palestinian-Israeli violence and the creation of a Palestinian state by 2005.
His Majesty said he favored a resolution be issued by the UN Security Council
calling for the establishment of an independent Palestinian state, living in
peace next to Israel.
He also urged the international community to help the Palestinians rebuild their institutions, pledging that Jordan "will do its best to assist the Palestinians ... to enable them to control Gaza after Israel pulls out."
Karim Kawar, Jordan's ambassador to the United States, said the King's talks with Bush are "timely, considering chaos in the Palestinian territories and the deteriorating security situation in Iraq."
"The crux of the upcoming meeting with President Bush will be ... ways to restart the peace process and (Israeli Prime Minister Ariel) Sharon's disengagement plan with the Palestinians," Kawar told Petra.
"Jordan believes that the United States has a very significant and required role, specifically in this period, to push forward the peace process," he said. "We don't want to feel that we reached a dead end."
Kawar said Jordan was also "very concerned over the deteriorating security situation in Iraq." He said restoring security in Iraq was a "priority for Jordan."
Kawar said His Majesty will update the American
Administration on Jordan's development in the political, economic and social
spheres including the significance of the Jordan-US Free Trade Agreement on the
Jordanian economy especially that local exports to the US increased last year to
$650 million.
Kawar added that King Abdullah will meet with American businessmen and investors
and attend several meetings in California between the Jordanian and American
businessmen primarily on IT.