King, Abbas discuss Palestinian UN bid

His Majesty King Abdullah on Sunday reiterated Jordan’s full support for the Palestinian National Authority in its efforts to realise the aspirations and rights of the Palestinian people to statehood and freedom, a Royal Court statement said. During a meeting with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, the King underlined that the solution for the Palestinian-Israeli conflict must address all final status issues, foremost of which are the refugees and Jerusalem, to arrive at a comprehensive peace that restores the rights of all Palestinians and defuses tension in the region. The King noted that the continuation of Israel’s settlement policies will undermine peace efforts and will not help in building confidence between the Palestinians and Israelis. Discussions also covered the peace process and the latest developments in the Arab arena and several issues of mutual concern. The meeting was attended by Royal Court Chief Khaled Karaki, King’s Media Adviser Amjad Adaileh, Minister of Foreign Affairs Nasser Judeh, Palestinian chief negotiator Saeb Erekat and Palestinian Ambassador to Jordan Ata Khairi, the statement said. Also on Sunday, Judeh was quoted by the Jordan News Agency, Petra, as saying that the Jordanian stance mirrors that of the Palestinian Authority in viewing negotiations as the best option that leads to reaching a two-state solution and a sovereign Palestinian state on Palestinian soil. But the minister stressed that in the absence of any tangible response from Israel, options remain limited, underscoring the Arab consensus and coordination on the Palestinian UN bid. Judeh noted that the statehood bid will be pursued without affecting Arab accomplishments, including gaining the united and supportive stance of the EU, among others “who consider the Palestinian issue and the Arab-Israeli conflict a matter of concern to them as much as to the stakeholders”. In remarks to Jordan Television following his meeting with the King yesterday, Abbas said they discussed several issues, including heading to the UN in September to seek recognition for Palestinian statehood on the 1967 borders, Palestinian reconciliation and developments in the Arab world. Responding to a question on Palestinian reconciliation, Abbas said: “The issue depends on the formation of a government, and we’ve said more than once that the government we seek is neither a government of national unity nor a power-sharing government, but a transitional government and a government of independents.” Meanwhile, Agence France-Presse reported that rival Palestinian groups Fateh and Hamas opened talks Sunday in Egypt aimed at implementing the reconciliation agreement that was struck in May, quoting the Egyptian state news agency MENA. The two sides held consultations late Saturday in the presence of Egyptian intelligence officials, the agency said, adding that Fateh’s delegation is led by Azzam Al Ahmed and Hamas’ by Musa Abu Marzouq. AFP quoted Fateh official Sakhr Bssisso as saying that the talks would focus on “mechanisms of implementing the reconciliation deal”, in all its aspects, including the formation of a new government. Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zahri told AFP on Saturday that his group was “serious in wanting to implement the agreement as soon as possible”. But, he added, there were some hurdles, namely Fateh’s insistence to keep Salam Fayyad as the head of the government.