Jordan Times
Monday, October 1, 2007
King, Kuwait emir discuss
regional issues, bilateral ties
AMMAN (JT) - His Majesty King Abdullah on Sunday paid a several-hour visit to
Kuwait during which he held talks with the emir of Kuwait, Sheikh Sabah Al Ahmad
Al Sabah, on regional developments and bilateral relations.
The two leaders discussed efforts to revive the Middle East peace process and
bring the Palestinians and Israelis back to the negotiating table.
His Majesty and Sheikh Sabah described the forthcoming peace conference in
November as “a step in the right direction”, towards a just solution to the
Palestinian issue in line with international resolutions and the Arab Peace
Initiative.
The initiative, endorsed by Arab leaders at their Beirut summit in 2002 and
renewed in their Riyadh meeting in March, offers Israel fully normalised
relations with the Arab world in return for ending its 40-year occupation of
Arab lands.
The King and the emir also stressed the need for the conference to come up with
positive and tangible results that should lead to the establishment of a
Palestinian state on Palestinian soil and to put an end to violence and
instability in the region.
King Abdullah has, over the past few weeks, toured several Arab and foreign
countries for consultations ahead of the peace meeting, called for by US
President George W. Bush.
The King has been to Saudi Arabia, Egypt and France, and last week he met with
Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak again in Amman.
The Kingdom has repeatedly stressed the need for a unified Arab stand that calls
for the inclusion of final status issues on the conference agenda.
In Kuwait, the two leaders also called for intensified efforts to alleviate the
suffering of the Palestinian people who are going through economic hardships.
They renewed their support for the Palestinian National Authority to preserve
the unity of the Palestinian people.
On Iraq, the two sides said they back efforts to keep Iraq united, coherent and
sovereign. They urged a political process that engages all Iraqis.
They also called on political groups in Lebanon to address their differences
through dialogue and to stand up to attempts targeting the unity and sovereignty
of their country.
In addition to Middle Eastern issues, the King’s talks in Kuwait, which
continued over an iftar banquet, tackled bilateral ties, especially in economic
fields.
Kuwait stands as the top foreign investor in the Kingdom, with the value of
Kuwaiti ventures standing at around $6 billion, covering various sectors.