King Holds Talks with Straw

Amman
08 October 2002

His Majesty King Abdullah II and British Foreign Minister Jack Straw held talks on Tuesday focusing on the current efforts to put an end to the cycle of violence in the Palestinian areas, the Iraqi issue and on bilateral relations.

King Abdullah stressed the necessity to halt the ongoing violence in the Palestinian areas and to move forward seriously to revive the stalled Middle East peace process and implement the accords concluded between the Palestinians and Israelis.

The King commended the British government's stand that stressed the implementation of the Security Council resolutions relevant to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, which is very essential to realize peace in the Middle East said the King, who urged the international community to give support to efforts geared to reinvigorate the peace process and end Israeli occupation.

On Iraq-UN issue, King Abdullah expressed hope that Iraq's acceptance of the return of UN arms inspectors and the work to implement the relevant Security Council resolutions would defuse tension and avert the region a new conflict.

The British Minister, said his country stressed the necessity for Iraq to honor all Security Council resolutions and implement them in full.

He also affirmed his country's support to the Palestinian people's rights and the establishment of the Palestinian state according to resolutions of international legitimacy.

King Abdullah and Straw also discussed ways to further cement bilateral cooperation in various fields.

On another development, King Abdullah held talks on Tuesday with EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana, EU Middle East peace envoy Miguel Moratinos and Russian envoy for Middle East peace affairs Andrei Vidovine.

The talks focused on Middle East peace efforts and the Iraqi issue. During the two separate meetings with the two European envoys and the Russian envoy, King Abdullah warned against the continued Israeli military escalation in the Palestinian areas and the siege on Palestinian towns and villages.

King Abdullah also stressed the necessity to implement the quartet committee action plan and not only to stop at endorsing the plan. Much more efforts should be made to reach a breakthrough, end the whirl of violence and the state of frustration prevailing in the region, the King said.