Jordan Supports Restoration of Palestinian Rights, End to Sanctions on Iraq: KingJordan called on Sunday for the restoration of the Palestinian rights and the lifting of the decade-old U.N. economic sanctions on Iraq to end the sufferings of the Iraqi people.During a meeting with US Secretary of State Colin Powell, Jordanian King Abdullah Bin Al-Hussein said the Palestinian issue must be resolved according to the relevant United Nations resolutions. Abdullah reiterated Jordan's support for the Palestinians' efforts to restore their legitimate national rights, including the establishment of an independent state with Jerusalem as its capital. He also called on Israel to end closure of the Palestinian self- rule areas to create a favorable atmosphere for the resumption of the Palestinian-Israeli peace talks. The peace talks must be resumed from where they stopped, and the signed agreements must be carried out in a bid to protect the fruits of the peace process between the two sides, Abdullah said. On Iraq, he said the U.N. sanctions, imposed on Iraq after its 1990 invasion of Kuwait, should be lifted, and Iraq's sovereignty and territorial integrity must be protected. For his part, Powell stressed that the new U.S. administration under President George W. Bush will remain committed to promoting the Mideast peace process. Powell arrived in Amman earlier in the day and has left for Kuwait following the talks with Abdullah during his first trip to the Middle East after taking office last month. He has also visited Egypt, Israel and the Palestinian self-rule areas and will travel on to Syria and Saudi Arabia. |
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