Ammon News - AMMAN (Petra)--State Minister for Media Affairs and Communications Samih Maaytah said that Jordan will not accept a settlement to the Palestinian issue at the expense of the Kingdom's identity.

In a press conference at the Culture Ministry of Saturday, Maaytah said the issue of confederation has not been raised with the Palestinians and that Jordan supports the establishment of a genuine and full sovereign Palestinian state on the Palestinian national soil.

"The Israeli occupier is the one who should pay the price of solving the Palestinian issue and the Palestinians should practice their political and national rights on their soil and inside their country," the minister added.

He added that no one is entitled to speak on behalf of Jordan except its leadership, adding that what Israel says is not a political destiny that we should accept.

Maaytah said that Jordan is concerned about protecting its borders and armed forces from any external threats even if they are chemical weapons, adding that the Kingdom has the right to take measures to protects its land and people.

"Jordan did not forge any alliances with any state and is keen to preserve its security and stability without interference in the Syrian affairs or in the affairs of any Arab country," Maaytah said.

The Kingdom, he added, wants Syria to remain united but the Syrian crisis is placing pressure on Jordan as there are 275,000 Syrian refugees in the Kingdom.

On the upcoming parliamentary elections, the minister said that the new parliament will press ahead with the reform march, noting that the government will not interfere in the work of the Independent Elections Commission.

Jordan, he said, took advanced measures to support and develop its economy, adding that it had reached a clear agreement with Egypt on supplying the Kingdom with gas. "Jordan also has common interests with Iraq which considers the construction of a pipeline to export Iraqi oil through the Aqaba port," he added.

Commenting on Jordan's relation with Kuwait, Maaytah said the Kuwaiti prime minister will visit Jordan next month.