Jordan Times
Thursday, June 12, 2008
'Kingdom backs Palestinian
internal dialogue’
AMMAN (Petra) - His Majesty King Abdullah on Wednesday said the call by
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas for an internal Palestinian dialogue should
be a starting point towards enhancing national unity and empowering the
Palestinians to restore their legitimate rights and create an independent state
on their national soil.
The Monarch made his remarks at a meeting yesterday with Abbas, where he
reiterated Jordan’s support for efforts exerted by the Palestinian leader
towards realising this objective.
The Monarch also stressed the need for continued involvement by the
international community in the Mideast peace process to realise tangible
progress in the negotiations so they will lead to the establishment of an
independent Palestinian state in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
At the meeting, the King said the current escalation in the Gaza Strip, which
suggests a wide military operation against the enclave, and the continued
Israeli settlement activity, especially in Jerusalem and surrounding areas, pose
a major threat to the stability and security of the region.
The two leaders also called on Israel to honour its commitments to international
agreements regarding final status issues, including the refugees problem.
Abbas, for his part, briefed King Abdullah on the Palestinian Authority’s
position seeking to open a national dialogue with Hamas.
He also outlined the outcome of his recent meetings with Israeli Prime Minister
Ehud Olmert, and Saudi and Egyptian leaders. He also acquainted the King on the
situation in the ongoing negotiations with Israel.
In a press statement following the meeting, Abbas said: “I discussed with King
Abdullah several issues, foremost among which is the Palestinian initiative to
solve the internal problem and how future work mechanisms should be.
“We also discussed the recent talks with US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice
when she visited the region, in addition to the issue of a truce in the Gaza
Strip and the need to support efforts by Egypt in this regard.”
On the possibility of announcing a declaration of principles with Hamas, Abbas
said: “The problem is not about media campaigns and easing the tone and rhetoric
used in these campaigns. Propaganda is harmful to all parties and we have made
it clear that when the media campaign by Hamas stops, we will have a positive
reaction.”
“The issue now is the Palestinian initiative and the implementation of
resolutions reached at the Arab summit in Damascus. We are now considering
mechanisms to implement them,” Abbas said.