US to Do Utmost to Help End Mideast Violence: Cheney

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Wednesday, March 13, 2002

US to Do Utmost to Help End Mideast Violence: Cheney

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Vising U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney said on Tuesday in Amman that Washington will do its utmost to help end the Israeli-Palestinian violence as well as the resumption of peace talks between the two sides.

He made the pledge in a brief statement soon after his plane touched down at the Marka military airport in eastern Amman, where he received a red-carpet welcome by Jordanian Prime Minister Ali Abu Ragheb.

Cheney said it was fit to start his 11-nation tour of the region from Jordan as Washington highly appreciates King Abdullah Bin Hussein's support and cooperation in regional affairs, and attaches great importance to the views of the monarch.

Apart from Jordan, Cheney's tour to the region will also take him to Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, Oman, Qatar, Yemen, Israel and Turkey.

Cheney said he would discuss with Abdullah the latest development on the Palestinian territories, the challenges facing the region and the threat of weapons of mass destruction.

He commended Jordan's role as a force for peace against violence in the region and praised the kingdom for never wavering even in the most difficult time of the peace process.

Most analysts believe Cheney will use his current Mideast tour to drum up support for possible U.S.-led military strikes against Iraq, which it accused of developing weapons of mass destruction.

However, in a meeting earlier this week with visiting Vice Chairman of the Iraqi Revolutionary Command Council Izaat Ibrahim, Abdullah voiced opposition to any military action against Iraq and warned of a catastrophe for the whole region if Iraq comes under massive military strikes.

Abdullah also reaffirmed Jordan's support for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Iraq during the meeting with Ibrahim, who visited Jordan as a special envoy of Iraqi President Saddam Hussein just two days before Cheney's visit to the kingdom.

Jordan is considered to be a U.S. ally in the Arab world, and receives some 300 million U.S. dollars in various aid packages from Washington each year, but it also keeps traditionally friendly ties with Iraq, now its only source of crude oil and oil products.

Amman receives 50,000 to 75,000 barrels of crude oil every day from Iraq, half for free and the rest at preferential prices lower than international markets.

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