Jordan Times
Thursday, August 10, 2006
King urges EU to push
for immediate ceasefire
HELSINKI (Petra) — King Abdullah on Wednesday urged EU intervention to push for
an immediate ceasefire and help end the Israeli aggression on Lebanon.
During talks here with Finnish President Tarja Halonen, whose country holds the
rotating presidency of the EU, the King stressed the need for the union to play
a positive role to end the war on Lebanon.
“Europeans play a very vital role in helping solve the Mideast conflict,” the
King said.
Following the meeting, attended by Queen Rania and senior officials, the King
told reporters in a joint press conference with Halonen that it was important to
support the Lebanese government and people to restore security and stability as
soon as possible.
He said there will be a need to push forward the Middle East peace process and
to encourage parties to negotiate after the fighting stops. The Monarch said it
was important for the region to see the Palestinians and the Israelis live in
coexistence.
“We need to be able to get the parties back to the peace table,” he said. “If we
don’t, then the future of the Middle East will look very dark indeed.”
During the meeting with Halonen, King Abdullah said Jordan was looking forward
to working with Finland and other EU countries to ensure the resumption of the
Arab-Israeli peace process to “build a brighter future for all the peoples of
the region”.
The King said the Middle East issues are “interconnected”.
“We, as part of the international community, need to speak in one voice when it
comes to the challenges we face today,” he told the Finnish president.
Talks also covered the situation in Iraq, where, the King said, government
efforts to restore stability should be backed.
Halonen, on her part, said the EU was committed to push the Middle East peace
process forward, adding that ending “hostilities” could help revive the peace
process.
She said Finnish Foreign Minister Erkki Tuomioja, who also briefly met the
Monarch, would travel to Cairo later Wednesday for talks with his Egyptian
counterpart Ahmed Abul Gheit.