King meets UN Chief, Lebanese President, Tunisian President, and Russian FM
New York - His Majesty King Abdullah II on Tuesday met with UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and the latest developments in Middle East, particularly the repercussions of the Syrian crisis as well as efforts to achieve peace in the region.
His Majesty stressed the importance of the UN’s role in backing efforts to reach solutions to challenges facing the Middle East and its peoples, particularly the Syrian crisis whose ramifications are getting worse inside and outside Syria.
During the meeting held on the sidelines of the 68th session of the UN General Assembly, King Abdullah renewed Jordan's position calling for a comprehensive political solution to the Syrian crisis that puts an end to the suffering of the Syrian people and lays the foundations for a better future for them.
His Majesty highlighted burdens borne by Jordan as a result of hosting more than 550,000 Syrian refugees, who added further pressures on the Kingdom's infrastructure and services.
The UN chief hailed Jordan's relief efforts to the Syrian refugees and said the Kingdom's endeavors helped in alleviating their suffering, affirming that UN bodies and institutions will continue to support such efforts.
Ban stressed that the UN is continuing coordination with international donors to support Jordan's capabilities in dealing with the repercussions of the Syrian crisis.
During the meeting, they discussed efforts to support peacemaking between the Palestinians and the Israelis to achieve peace based on a two-state solution, which is a high strategic Jordanian interest.
In this regard, His Majesty pledged that Jordan will continue to support international efforts led by the United States to support the Palestinian and Israeli sides to achieve tangible progress in peace negotiations.
Ban expressed appreciation for Jordan's contribution in international peacekeeping forces in various spots of the world.
On another note, His Majesty King Abdullah II met with Lebanese President Michel Suleiman and discussed with him Syria and stressed the need for reaching an international and Arab consensus to find a comprehensive political solution to the ongoing crisis in a manner that puts an end to the ordeal the Syrian people is going through.
They also tackled Jordanian-Lebanese relations and ways of enhancing them in various fields in addition to a number of regional issues.
His Majesty the King also met with Tunisian President Moncef Marzouki for a discussion on Middle East issues, especially the Syrian crisis and its developments.
They emphasized the importance of reaching a comprehensive political solution to the Syrian crisis and spare the region more tension and violence.
On the other hand, King Abdullah II held a meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in and discussed with him the situation in Syria and ways to deal with it, including ending the suffering of the Syrian people and pave the way for a comprehensive political solution to the crisis.
His Majesty underlined the need that the recent U.S.-Russian efforts regarding the chemical weapons issue must be focused on and inclusive of achieving a comprehensive political solution.
The King noted that Jordan has always warned of the danger of chemical weapons since the Kingdom is a neighbor of Syria and directly impacted by developments in its northern neighbor.
His Majesty stressed that a comprehensive political transition that ends violence, eliminates the threat of chemical weapons, restores the security and stability of Syria and protects its unity is the solution that everyone must work to achieve.
The meeting also dealt with efforts to achieve peace in the Middle East based on the two-state solution, referring to the important role played by Russia and other members of the International Quartet in pushing peacemaking forward.
King Abdullah and Lavrov discussed ties between Jordan and the Russian Federation and means of cementing them in various fields.
The meetings were attended by His Royal Highness Crown Prince Hussein bin Abdullah II, Royal Court Chief Fayez Tarawneh, Minister of Foreign and Expatriate Affairs Nasser Judeh, Director of the King's Office Imad Fakhoury, and Prince Zeid bin Raad, Jordan's Permanent Representative to the United Nations.