Jordan Times
Sunday, November 11, 2007
King to discuss G-11, G-8 cooperation in Germany
AMMAN (Petra) - His Majesty King Abdullah will head on Tuesday to Germany on a two-day visit for talks on bilateral issues, and regional and world developments.
He is scheduled to meet with German Chancellor Angela Merkel. Talks will focus on cooperation at the bilateral level and developments in the Middle East, especially efforts to push the peace process forward and find a just and permanent solution to the Palestinian issue, a Royal Court statement said.
During the meeting, the Monarch and the chancellor will also review prospects of cooperation between the Lower-Middle Income Countries Initiative (G-11), chaired by Jordan, and the G-8 group, chaired by Germany.
Launched by King Abdullah in September 2006, the initiative also groups Pakistan, Croatia, Ecuador, El Salvador, Georgia, Honduras, Indonesia, Morocco, Paraguay and Sri Lanka.
The G-11 has endorsed a plan for cooperation with the developed nations of the G-8, eyeing the richer group’s help to ease their debt burden and help reform economies.
In Berlin, King Abdullah will meet with members of the foreign affairs committee at the German Bundestag.
At the start of his visit, King Abdullah will deliver a speech in Bremen to an audience comprising key Jordanian and German economic and business leaders.
During his talks with British Prime Minister Gordon Brown last Wednesday, King Abdullah urged Britain to support the establishment of an effective partnership between the G-11 and the G-8 group, of which the UK is a member.
Their Majesties King Abdullah and Queen Rania returned on Saturday following the UK visit.
The King also discussed with Brown regional and international efforts to proceed with the peace process in light of the US-proposed Mideast peace meeting to be held soon.
During the meeting, King Abdullah stressed the important role of the UK and EU in supporting efforts to bring about peace in the region. He also said it was important that the meeting deals with final status issues, which are the core of conflict between the Palestinians and Israelis, reaches a radical solution to these issues, ends the conflict and create a viable independent Palestinian state that lives side by side with Israel.