PA, Jordan to launch talks on political cooperation

Abdullah visits Ramallah in effort to coordinate positions with PA on various issues in wake of the UN vote.

By KHALED ABU TOAMEH
Jordan King Abdullah 370 (photo credit: REUTERS/Shannon Stapleton)
Jordan King Abdullah 370
(photo credit: REUTERS/Shannon Stapleton)
The Palestinian Authority and Jordan agreed Thursday to launch talks to discuss economic and political cooperation between the two sides.
The agreement was announced during a brief visit to Ramallah by Jordan’s King Abdullah.
This was the first visit to Ramallah by a head of state since the UN General Assembly voted in favor of upgrading the Palestinians’ status to non-member observer state.
Abdullah held talks with PA President Mahmoud Abbas and other Palestinian officials in the Mukata compound.
PA Foreign Minister Riad Malki said the king’s visit to Ramallah was aimed at coordinating positions on various issues in the wake of the UN vote. He said the two sides were in full agreement on all issues.
Malki announced that the Ramallah Municipality has decided to name a square after Abdullah in appreciation of Jordan’s support for the Palestinians.
Jordanian Foreign Minister Nasser Judeh, who accompanied the monarch on his visit, hailed the UN vote as an “historic achievement.” He said the king came to Ramallah to be the first leader to congratulate Abbas on the outcome of the vote.
Judeh voiced hope that Palestine would one day become a full member of the UN.
He expressed opposition to Israel’s plan to build housing units in the area know as E1, warning that such a move would divide the West Bank and prevent the establishment of a Palestinian state.
A statement issued by the Royal Palace in Amman said that Abdullah affirmed during his visit that Jordan would continue to support the PA’s effort to fulfill the aspirations of the Palestinians to establish an independent state within the pre-1967 lines with east Jerusalem as its capital.
The Jordanian royal said he would work with US President Barack Obama to get the Americans involved in efforts to achieve a two-state solution, the statement added.