Jordan Times
Monday, April 18, 2005
King, Abbas hold talks on Gaza
withdrawal
AMMAN (Petra) — His Majesty King Abdullah on Sunday held talks with Palestinian
President Mahmoud Abbas on Israel's planned withdrawal from the Gaza Strip.
King Abdullah told Abbas at a Raghadan Palace meeting that the withdrawal should
be followed by a pullout from the West Bank and in line with the roadmap to the
Middle East peace process. The King said some issues should be left for final
status negotiations, adding that imposing unilateral solutions will not serve
the peace process. The Monarch and Abbas agreed on the need to protect Al Aqsa
Mosque from Jewish extremists, and rejected any attempts to sell or lease Greek
Orthodox Church properties. They said Israeli settlements hinder efforts to
establish a just and comprehensive peace, calling on the Jewish state to halt
settlement expansion. The two leaders also discussed bilateral ties at the
meeting, attended by Prime Minister Adnan Badran, Royal Court Minister Marwan
Muasher and Foreign Minister Farouq Qasrawi, as well as senior Palestinian
officials.
Abbas arrived yesterday in Amman on a two-day visit.