Jordan Reaffirms Support for Palestinians in Talks with IsraelJordanian King Abdullah Bin Hussein on Wednesday reassured visiting Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat that his kingdom stood for the legitimate rights of the Palestinians in their peace talks with Israel.Arafat, chairman of the Palestinian National Authority (PNA), briefed Abdullah on the latest developments of the Palestinian- Israeli final status talks, which mainly focused on Jerusalem, Jewish settlements, borders, Palestinian refugees, and water. Abdullah reiterated Jordan's principled support for the founding of an independent Palestinian state on its own soil with Jerusalem as its capital. He also stressed that Israel should implement all agreements it reached with the Palestinians to ensure progress on the Palestinian track in the peace process. For his part, Arafat thanked Abdullah for supporting the Palestinians to restore their legitimate rights, and praised the king's efforts to promote the peace process. Jordan has been a major peace broker in the Middle East region since it signed a peace treaty with Israel in 1994 as the second Arab country after Egypt to realize peace with the Jewish state. Abdullah and Arafat also expressed satisfaction with the current status of ties between Jordan and the Palestinians, and agreed that a higher joint committee, grouping senior officials from both sides, would convene in Amman in the coming two weeks to further boost bilateral economic ties. Their meeting was also attended by Jordan's new Prime Minister Ali Abu Ragheb, Royal Court Chief Fayez Tarawneh and the Palestinian delegation accompanying Arafat on his visit. Arafat, a frequent visitor to Jordan, has left here after the brief visit. |
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