Jordanian King discusses Palestinian reconciliation with Abbas
King Abdullah II of Jordan and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Monday discussed efforts aimed at Palestinian unity and talked over the stalled Israeli- Palestinian peace talks during the king's short visit to the West Bank city of Ramallah.
The Palestinian president called the visit at this particular time "a generous initiative" from King Abdullah, adding that the visit is partly related to his plans to reconcile with Islamic Hamas movement, the bitter rival of Abbas' Fatah party.
"King Abdullah will travel to Europe and America, and we will embark on Arab tours related to the reconciliation and other issues," Abbas said.
Israel, the United States and many European countries have said that they will not deal with a Palestinian government that doesn't recognize Israel.
As Abbas is expected to meet with Khaled Mashaal, head of Hamas, to discuss the formation of a unity government later this week, Fatah officials said the program must be acceptable to the international community to avoid boycott.
Meanwhile, Abbas reiterated that peace talks with Israel can resume only when Israel stops building settlements in its occupied Palestinian territories. The expiry of a construction freeze last year caused the negotiations to break down.
The Palestinians sought a unilateral declaration of independence through the United Nations in response to Israel's refusal to halt the settlement construction. But their membership bid failed to secure enough vote in the Security Council this month.
Following the discussions between Abbas and King Abdullah, Jordanian Foreign Minister Nasser Jouda said creating an independent Palestinian state was "a Jordanian interest."
"The goal behind the King's visit is to emphasize the Jordanian position that it is necessary to establish the independent Palestinian state with its capital in East Jerusalem," Jouda told reporters, responding to remarks by some Israeli ministers that Jordan can be an alternative home to the Palestinians.
Editor: Mu Xuequan
English.news.cn 2011-11-21 22:38:59 FeedbackPrintRSS
RAMALLAH, Nov. 21 (Xinhua)
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