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Jordan Renews Support for Palestinian State
Jordanian Foreign Minister Abdel Ilah Khatib said on Sunday his kingdom will recognize an independent Palestinian state with other Arab countries anytime it is proclaimed.
His remarks came at a time when a meeting of the Central Committee of Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) was convened earlier in the day in Palestinian self-rule areas to decide on a date to declare an independent state.
In an exclusive interview with Xinhua, Khatib stressed Jordan actually has already recognized the Palestinian state after the Palestinians first proclaimed independence in 1988.
The palestinian side has sent an ambassador to Jordan and Jordan also has a diplomatic envoy in the Palestinian self-rule areas, he said.
Jordan believes a solution to the Palestinian issue is the corner stone of the Middle East peace process, without which there will be no just, durable and comprehensive peace in the region.
Khatib told reporters that Jordan is committed to promoting peace in the region, which it believes to be the top priority and only option for all states and peoples, including Israel, to achieve economic development and prosperity, and to pave the way for a better life for the coming generations.
He stressed Arab rights and interests must be protected, restored and guaranteed during the peace process, including the establishment of an independent Palestinian state on its own soil and the rights of Arab countries to recover their lands occupied by Israel in successive Middle East wars.
The foreign minister also called for regional cooperation to deal with the water shortages, another potential source of tension in the region.
"We should take collective efforts to deal with water shortages, a common challenge facing every country in the region, by way of consultations instead of force and war," he said.
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