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Jordan Rejects Israeli Sovereignty Over Jerusalem
Jordanian King Abdullah Bin Hussein on Wednesday firmly rejected Israeli sovereignty over Jerusalem which it considered part of the Arab land captured by the Jewish state in the 1967 Middle East war.
In a meeting with visiting Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak, Abdullah reaffirmed the importance of Jerusalem's position in the Arab and Muslim world, and noted the future of the holy city should be addressed in line with U.N. resolutions 242 and 338.
The monarch said a just, comprehensive and lasting peace in the Middle East should live up to the legitimate rights of all parties,and the international legitimacy is the sole option for the states and peoples to solve the long-term conflicts in the region.
The King stressed the need to overcome the difficulties in the peace process, to achieve peace and to meet the Palestinians' aspirations, including the establishment of an independent state with Jerusalem as its capital.
Barak briefed Abdullah on the latest developments in the Israeli-Palestinian peace talks following the collapse of the July trilateral summit in the U.S. Camp David between Barak himself, U.S. President Bill Clinton and Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat.
The two-week summit failed to reach any agreement on the thorny issues, such as the future of Jerusalem, borders, refugees and security arrangements, between Israel and the Palestinians.
Abdullah emphasized Jordan's principled stand on the Palestinian refugees' rights to return to their homeland and get compensation.
Currently, Jordan has taken in some 1.5 million Palestinian refugees, most of whom were given Jordanian citizenship, but the government said it does not mean the refugees have given up their
rights to return home.
The meeting was also attended by Jordan's Crown Prince Hamza Bin Hussein, Prime Minister and Minister of Defense Ali Abul Ragheb, Chief of the Royal Court Fayez Tarawneh, Foreign Minister Abdul Ilah al-Khatib and other senior Jordanian officials.
Barak expressed appreciation for Abdullah's efforts to push forward the peace process, and for Jordan's commitment to the peace process.
He left Amman after the brief visit to Jordan Wednesday evening.
Jordan has been a major peace broker between Israel and its Arab neighbors since they signed a peace treaty in 1994.
Currently Jordan and Egypt are the only two Arab countries to have reached such a peace deal with the Jewish state.
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