Embassy of Jordan - Washington, DC
Information Bureau

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
 
King Abdullah calls on US to match Arab diplomacy for Middle East peace

Washington, DC (March 7, 2007) – His Majesty King Abdullah II today called on the United States to match the momentum building in the Arab and Muslim world for a major push in the Middle East peace process.

"Your responsibility today is paramount," King Abdullah told a joint meeting of the 110th US Congress adding that Americans' "potential to help Palestinians and Israelis find peace is unrivalled."

"The ground work for a comprehensive, final settlement is already in place," King Abdullah told congresspersons, thought leaders, media representatives and diplomats in attendance. "…But we need all hands on deck."

The King said that Arab states are pursuing a comprehensive settlement to the Arab-Israeli conflict according to the parameters outlined in the 2002 Arab Peace Initiative. The initiative extends full security guarantees to Israel from all Arab states in return for the creation of a viable, independent Palestinian state, Israeli withdrawal from all Arab territory occupied since 1967 and agreed settlement of the refugee problem. He added that a recent meeting of foreign ministers from key Muslim states in Islamabad demonstrated a clear and growing interest among Muslim countries outside the Arab region to support the peace process.

However, he said, the international community, especially the United States, also needed to be engaged to move the process towards an agreed solution to the conflict.

"That is because the people of the region still regard the United States as the key to peace… the one country most capable of bringing the two sides closer together; holding them accountable; and making a just settlement a reality," King Abdullah said. "Time after time, there has been progress towards peace when Americans have actively engaged."

"On behalf of all those who seek and strive for peace in my part of the world," he said, "I ask you now to exert that leadership once again."

The King told the legislature that no country or society was immune to the reverberations of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, which he described as the core conflict in the Middle East.

Palestinians and Israelis, he said, are not the only victims of the conflict. "We saw the violence ricochet into destruction in Lebanon last summer. And people around the world have been the victims of terrorists and extremists, who use the grievances of this conflict to legitimize and encourage acts of violence."

"The security of all nations and the stability of our global economy are directly affected by the Middle East conflict," he cautioned. "Across oceans, the conflict has estranged societies that should be friends. I meet Muslims thousands of miles away who have a deep, personal response to the suffering of the Palestinian people.

"They want to know how it is that ordinary Palestinians are still without rights and without a country. They ask whether the West really means what is says about equality and respect and universal justice."

King Abdullah's address to the joint meeting, the first by a head of state since the 110th Congress convened, is a major component of a several-day visit to the United States.

Over the past two days, King Abdullah also held talks with US President George W. Bush, Vice President Dick Cheney, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Secretary of Defense Robert Gates. His talks with administration officials focused on the importance of the US role in bringing Palestinians and Israelis back to the negotiating table, with the objective of reaching a final settlement that would allow the emergence of a Palestinian state and reflect international legality. He also emphasized the importance of realizing tangible, on-the-ground progress in the peace process this year.

The King's visit to the US is part of a comprehensive Arab diplomatic initiative to refocus world attention on the Palestinian-Israeli conflict and to project the Arab position on regional peace in world capitals. Before traveling to the US, he also visited Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the United Kingdom.