Jordan Times
Friday, March 7, 2008
King urges continued US
engagement in Mideast peace
AMMAN (JT) - His Majesty King Abdullah on Thursday discussed over phone
Jordan-US ties and Mideast developments with Democratic presidential hopefuls
Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton and Republican candidate John McCain.
The King was in Washington as part of an official visit he started last
Thursday.
During the telephone conversations, King Abdullah underlined the importance of
Washington’s continued support for the Middle East peace process in the coming
stage to achieve tangible results on the ground and to encourage the
Palestinians and Israelis to resume negotiations.
The King reiterated a call for building bridges of confidence and understanding
between the conflicting sides and to pursue the peace process, according to a
clear and well-defined timeframe, to lead to a comprehensive peace deal that
addresses all aspects of the conflict, including final status issues.
Also Thursday, Their Majesties King Abdullah and Queen Rania acted as patrons at
the inauguration ceremony of the Congressional Friends of Jordan Caucus, which
was launched officially last year by Republican and Democratic congressmen.
In their addresses over a lunch banquet held at one of the library of Congress’
halls, founders of the caucus, Charles Boustany (R-LA) and Adam Schiff (D-CA),
expressed their admiration of the efforts led by the King to achieve peace and
stability in the region.
King Abdullah said in remarks at the ceremony that he was optimistic that the
peace process will move ahead regardless of the obstacles it is facing and
called on the international community to help the Palestinians and Israelis to
overcome the difficulties and reach a final solution to all outstanding issues.
He thanked the founders of the caucus for their initiative to form the group and
support Jordan.
Boustany said the Congress acknowledges Jordan as an important partner of the
US, adding that the caucus seeks to communicate with the Jordanian people and
help them deal with the challenges facing them.
He said the caucus members, who meet regularly, will be visiting Jordan to stand
at its needs and will work for cooperation with their Jordanian peers.
Caucus Co-chairman Schiff said the aim of the caucus is to help Jordan address
the challenges posed by a turbulent region, including hosting three quarters a
million Iraqis who fled the war back home.
Vice chairman of the caucus, Congressman Brian Baird (D-WA), noted that the
congressional gathering is the first involving an Arab country, adding that it
seeks to facilitate exchange of ideas between legislatures in both countries and
market Jordan in the American media as a moderate country and a strong partner
of the US.
In separate meetings with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-California) and heads of
Senate subcommittees, King Abdullah said that the aim of peace in the Middle
East is to secure a better future for the peoples of the region.
He reiterated that negotiations, rather than military force, are the way to
peace, stressing that progress in the peace process should be based on a fixed
timetable.
The King discussed with the congressional leaders Jordan-US ties and highlighted
the importance of the US assistance to the Kingdom’s development plans.