Jordan Times
Thursday, April 29, 2004

No solution to conflict without Palestinians — King

AMMAN (AFP) — His Majesty King Abdullah said on Wednesday a solution to the Middle East conflict that excludes the Palestinians is bound to fail.

“We will soon undertake several contacts in order to ensure that the final status issues concerning the Palestinian cause must be negotiated between the concerned parties,” the Jordan News Agency, Petra, quoted King Abdullah as telling Palestinian Prime Minister Ahmed Qureia at a meeting.

“Any unilateral solutions that exclude the Palestinians are bound to fail.”

The King said Israel's unilateral plan to pull out from the Gaza Strip must be part of a comprehensive withdrawal in line with the terms of the internationally backed roadmap.

King Abdullah briefed Qureia on his recent contacts with the US administration aimed at reactivating the peace process and a letter he sent earlier in April to US President George W. Bush in which he outlined Jordan's position.

Last week, the King postponed scheduled talks with Bush at the White House. The US president has supported the Israeli plan and backed Tel Aviv's insistence that Palestinians who lost land to the Jewish state in 1948 could not return to their homes.

US officials said on Tuesday that Bush will give King Abdullah written guarantees on his commitment to the roadmap.


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