Peres meets Abdullah in secret trip to Jordan

Visit comes at the heels of Abdullah's trip to Ramallah; leaders discuss peace process, Jerusalem.

By GREER FAY CASHMAN, JPOST.COM STAFF
Peres meets Abdullah 311 R (photo credit: REUTERS/Yousef Allan)
Peres meets Abdullah 311 R
(photo credit: REUTERS/Yousef Allan)
President Shimon Peres secretly visited Jordan on Monday for a conversation with King Abdullah.
Peres' spokespeople declined to comment on the meeting, but Jordan's official Petra News Agency released a report indicating that the president updated the King on matters relating to the Palestinian Authority.
RELATED:Abdullah meets with Abbas over Fatah-Hamas talks'Hamas-Fatah unity would harm diplomatic process'
The report mentioned the King's urged Israel to stop taking unilateral punitive action against the Palestinians and to place a freeze on settlement construction.
The two discussed ways to revive the peace process "on the basis of the two-state solution, in accordance with international resolutions, ensuring the restoration of the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people, and well as in line with the agreed-upon terms of reference, in particular the Arab Peace Initiative," according to Petra.
According to the report, Abdullah said that the only way to end the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is through a final-status agreement on Palestinian refugees, borders, and east Jerusalem. Resolving those issues will lead to the establishment of an independent Palestinian state on 1967 borders, with east Jerusalem as its capital, existing in peace and alongside Israel, Abdullah said.
The King also expressed his concerned about Christian and Muslim holy sites in Jerusalem, and asked that every care be taken not to violate them.
Peres' visit came just one week after Abdullah visited Ramallah, without continuing on to Jerusalem to talk with the Israeli leadership. During that visit, the King held talks with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas on a number of issues concerning the peace process and efforts to achieve unity between Fatah and Hamas.
Abdullah also briefed Abbas on the recent rapprochement between the Kingdom and Hamas, whose leader, Khaled Mashaal, is expected to visit Amman in the coming weeks, according to both Jordanian and Palestinian officials.