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.