Jordanian King Abdullah II met here today with U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry. The meeting dealt with bilateral ties and efforts to achieve peace in the Middle East as well as the latest developments regarding the Syrian crisis. The two sides also discussed efforts led by Washington to revive peace talks between the Palestinians and Israelis based on the two-state solution as the only way leading to a comprehensive and just solution to the Palestinian issue. The King said Jordan will keep pushing to converge points of view to resume peace negotiations which will tackle all final status issues, cautioning at the same time that the stonewalling by Israel through its unilateral measures and its repeated aggressions against Islamic and Christian holy sites, threaten chances and efforts to achieve peace. King Abdullah II stressed that the only way leading to reach peace, security and stability in the Middle East is establishing the independent and viable Palestinian state within the 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital. The King also reiterated that the Arab Peace Initiative, which was launched in 2002, still forms a real chance to achieve the comprehensive peace in the Middle East. On the Syrian crisis, King Abdullah II said Jordan's stand is firm regarding this issue and calls for a comprehensive and transitional political solution to end bloodshed and preserve unity of Syria and its territorial integrity and limits its catastrophic consequences on the whole region. For his part, Kerry briefed the King on Washington's efforts to achieve peace in the region and converge point of views of Palestinians and Israelis to have a genuine restart of the peace process. The U.S. Secretary reiterated that Washington continues to support Jordan and urges the international community to contribute more in this regard.
