Ammon News - AMMONNEWS - Foreign Minister Nasser Judeh on Wednesday briefed the Parliament's Arab and International Affairs Committee on the latest developments in the region and Jordan's stances towards them.

The minister highlighted Jordan efforts to exert pressure on Israel through direct and indirect channels regarding the issue of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails, as well as the Kingdom's role in ending the hunger strike by the prisoners. The government, he added, attaches great interest to this file, in implementation of directives of His Majesty King Abdullah II to follow-up on the conditions of Jordanian citizens wherever they are.

Judeh said a special department was set up at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to follow up the issue of Jordanian prisoners in Israeli jails. The deparatment's efforts, he affirmed, are not always announced, because sometimes the pressure from behind the scenes is paying off.

On the peace process, the foreign minister underlined Jordan's efforts to push forward the peace process, pointing out the exploratory meetings between Palestinian and Israeli negotiators, which were hosted by Jordan earlier this year.

Judeh voiced hope for a breakthrough in the peace process to establish an independent Palestinian state on Palestinian national soil and on the basis of fourth of June, 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital. A Palestinian state, he added, is a top Jordanian interest as it is a Palestinian interest.

With regard to Syrian file, the minister underlined the importance of finding a political solution so as to preserve the unity and integrity of Syria and protect Syrians, stressing the importance of supporting the task of Arab League-UN Envoy to Syria, Kofi Annan and implementing his plan.

Judeh underlined the depth of ties between Jordan and the Gulf Arab states, expressing his appreciation for their support to Jordan, most recently their allocation of an additional assistance package during the consultative summit held yesterday.

For their part, the chairman and members of the committee valued the Kingdom's efforts, under the leadership of King Abdullah and its wise stances towards regional issues.



*Petra