Jordan Times
Monday, November 5, 2007
King warns against
failure of Annapolis peace meeting
By Taylor Luck and Petra
AMMAN - His Majesty King Abdullah on Sunday warned against the failure of the
Annapolis international peace meeting on the Middle East.
The King told a 40-member US delegation comprising officials and opinion leaders
that a failed dialogue would sustain the tensions in the region, highlighting in
this regard the responsibility of Israel to take trust-building measures that
would earn the peace meeting the support of international public opinion.
He said the gathering, expected to take place before year-end, should establish
a continuous peace process that leads to the establishment of a Palestinian
state on Palestinian lands in the West Bank and Gaza, and to an agreement on
final status issues in accordance with a fixed time frame.
Political leaders, he said, should realise that it is the people who will pay
the price if the negotiations come to a dead-end.
He also called for supporting the Palestinian Authority as it works to improve
the living conditions of the Palestinian people.
The region will face another catastrophe, His Majesty said in response to a
question about Iran’s nuclear file, if a military solution is adopted.
No one in the region supports resorting to force in addressing the crisis, he
told the delegates, headed by Ambassador Martin Indyk and comprising members of
Arab American and Jewish American committees, in addition to intellectuals,
researchers, journalists and representatives from the US private sector, all
members of the Washington-based Brookings Institution.
The delegates met Saturday with Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad and were
due yesterday to meet Israeli Premier Ehud Olmert, US Secretary of State
Condoleezza Rice, who was in the region, and Quartet envoy Tony Blair.
Also Sunday, King Abdullah reiterated, during a meeting with a visiting German
official, that the US-proposed Annapolis meeting should be devoted to solving
the Palestinian issue, including creating an independent state.
He told Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the German Bundestag
Ruprecht Polenz that there is need for the upcoming meeting to yield positive
results, pushing the peace efforts forward to a comprehensive peace in the
Middle East.
Essential to the peace process is a solution to the Palestinian issue, in
accordance with international resolutions and the 2002 Arab Peace Initiative, he
said.
King Abdullah underlined the important role Germany and the EU play in
supporting peace efforts and encouraging concerned parties to participate in a
serious peace process. Discussions between the King and the German official also
covered the political crisis in Lebanon.
King Abdullah stressed it is important to find a solution to the crisis through
dialogue and by using the national interest of all parties to preserve the unity
and sovereignty of Lebanon.
On bilateral ties, King Abdullah commended “solid ties” between Jordan and
Germany and stressed Jordan’s interest in enhancing cooperation in all fields.
The King also referred to his upcoming visit to Germany, where he will meet with
Chancellor Angela Merkel, noting that the two leaders will focus on discussing
bilateral ties and the peace process in the region in addition to Germany’s
role, as the current chair of the G-8, in supporting the Lower-Middle Income
Countries Initiative (G-11), which focuses on improving the economies of these
countries.
The German official voiced his appreciation for King Abdullah's efforts to bring
about just and comprehensive peace in the region.
“We agree in many aspects in regard to what should be done in the region to
lessen tensions,” Polenz told The Jordan Times yesterday.
According to the German official, Annapolis will be a turning point in the
Israeli-Palestinian conflict. For him, the difficulty is not in drawing up a
solution, but in implementing it.
“Everybody knows what the two-state solution looks like. But how do you get from
here to there?” remarked Polenz.
Palestine needs help from the international community to develop its
institutions, Polenz said, adding that Israel needs the Arab Peace Initiative to
provide full recognition of Israel and to build a working relationship with all
Arab League members.
The German official favoured a return to the 1967 borders with an undivided,
open Jerusalem as a joint capital for Israel and Palestine, as well as a
“one-to-one land return with equal quality and size”.
Polenz acknowledged that limiting refugee return to the West Bank and Gaza will
be difficult for Palestinians and that a shared Jerusalem will be difficult for
Israelis to accept. However, the German official stressed that such sacrifices
are essential.
“Without compromise, we will not see a solution,” he said, adding that Israel
should sign a moratorium to suspend settlements on the West Bank, as, otherwise,
it would “put pressure on Palestinian negotiators that would not be conducive to
an agreement”.
On the Kingdom’s upcoming parliamentary elections, the German official said he
was “impressed” with the plethora of election posters and banners across Amman.
“I am impressed that amidst a region of tension and instability, these elections
will be held as planned, which is a great sign for the region,” he said.
Polenz said the international community must do more to help countries hosting
Iraqis, noting that Kingdom finds itself in a situation where it has to provide
basic needs to Iraqis, while also coping with rising oil prices.
“It would be tough for any government to address such a challenge,” he noted.
Polenz believes Jordan and Germany could further their “very good” relations,
calling for increased educational exchange programmes. Highlighting the success
of the German Jordanian University programme, Polenz said such programmes are
essential to developing future leaders that can help their countries cooperate
with others.
Also on Sunday, Prime Minister Marouf Bakhit met with the German delegation and
discussed prospects for enhancing cooperation between Jordan and Germany in the
field of vocational training, stressing that Jordan is looking forward to
benefiting from German experiments in renewable energy, particularly solar and
wind types.
The German official affirmed the European and German convictions that the
challenges in the Middle East have a direct impact on Europe, a problem that has
compelled Germany to examine Jordanian perspectives in addressing these
challenges.
Senate Speaker Zeid Rifai also met with the visitors and pointed out the King’s
efforts in the peace process, hoping that the upcoming peace conference will put
the peace talks back on the right track.