Jordan Times
Friday, February 22, 2008
Regional files should be
closed without delay - King
AMMAN (JT) - His Majesty King Abdullah said the Palestinian, Iraqi and Lebanese
files should be closed, otherwise the entire region will pay a heavy price.
His Majesty also told the Paris-based Al Watan Al Arabi weekly and the local Ad
Dustour daily that Syria should show understanding of the Arab position and work
with Arab countries to solve outstanding issues, especially Lebanon.
In the interview, which the two Arabic publications published Thursday, the
Monarch said timing is crucial as far as Middle East peace is concerned.
“There is seriousness on the part of the US to solve the Palestinian issue. We
have few months and there is so much at risk if we do not make use of this
remaining time,” the King said, referring to the end of US President George W.
Bush’s term.
At the Annapolis peace meeting last November, the Palestinians and Israelis
agreed to work for a peaceful settlement of the conflict before the end of 2008.
Palestinian officials have said that in the three months since the two sides
launched their talks, no substantial progress has been made, accusing Israel of
stalling the negotiations.
If there is no deal, “this means that there will be a new US administration, and
we might need years to convince them, if ever, of the importance of a
Palestinian state”, the King said.
He added that the situation might explode in Palestine, warning Palestinians
against continued internal conflict.
The Hamas movement seized Gaza in June last year, weakening the Palestinian
Authority which is in negotiations with Israel over the final status issues of
Jerusalem, borders, settlements and refugees.
“Our brothers in Palestine should settle their differences. My deepest concern
is that the situation might explode and some parties would push towards the
rejected scenarios that they want; namely, that Egypt shoulders the
responsibility for the Gaza Strip.”
The consequences are grave for both the Palestinians and the region, the Monarch
warned.
On Syria, the King said Jordan is very keen on keeping the northern neighbour in
tandem with Arab joint action, adding “there is a collective Arab wish to have a
successful summit meeting in Damascus”.
“I think Syria can play a major part in the success of the [March] meeting by
helping solve some problems and making use of the available opportunity.”