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Ammon News - AMMONNEWS - Prime Minister Hani Mulqi Saturday met his Palestinian counterpart Rami Hamdallah and stressed Jordan's interest in further cementing the already deep relations with the Palestinians.

Mulqi also reiterated Jordan's support of the Palestinian people's steadfastness on their land, and pledged that the Kingdom would remove obstacles facing Palestinians, noting that His Majesty King Abdullah is a staunch supporter of the Palestinian cause at the various international forums.

Mulqi stressed that the Palestinian cause is Jordan's central issue, pledging that the Kingdom would not relinquish its duty to defend and support it until Palestinian rights were restored.

He also expressed the hope that the Palestinians and Israelis would return to the negotiating table to conduct serious and real negotiations based on international legitimacy to arrive at the two-state solution, leading to an independent Palestinian state along 1967 borders.

Mulqi said that despite the problems and extremely complicated regional conditions "our eyes will remain on Palestine and its cause", stressing that the various challenges and crises witnessed by the Middle East are due to failure to find a solution to the Palestinian issue.

Mulqi also stressed the need to achieve Palestinian reconciliation, warning that the continuation of the current division would not serve the Palestinian cause.

The Prime Minister said his government attached great importance to cooperation with Arab countries, particularly with the Palestinians, and welcomed an upcoming meeting in Amman of the joint Jordanian-Palestinian higher committee.

Hamdallah praised Jordan's support, noting His Majesty King Abdullah's speech delivered by Mulqi at last week's Arab summit in Mauritania in which he strongly backed the Palestinian cause. He also referred to Jordan's custody of the Al Aqsa Mosque and Islamic and Christian holy sites in Jerusalem.

The Palestinian premier spoke about Palestinian reconciliation efforts and the dangers posed by Israel's settlement building, which, he said, would undermine the peace process.

During the meeting, the two sides discussed promoting economic and trade ties and the prospect of an electric power linkage between Jordan and the Palestinian territories. They also stressed the importance of the Dead Sea-Red Sea water conveyance project as a regional venture that would boost water supply in Jordan and Palestine, besides its environmental importance in preserving the Dead Sea from drying up.