King: Mideast faces enormous challenges
14-07-2013 12:34 PM
Ammon News - SUN VALLEY (Petra) – His Majesty King Abdullah II said the Middle East was facing enormous challenges that threatened efforts to bring about peace, security and stability in the region, warranting a concerted global effort to stop the region from sliding into further violence and turbulence and enable its people to realize a better future.
He told the annual Sun Valley Economic Forum in the American state of Idaho that the stalemate in the Palestinian-Israeli peace process and the continuation of the Syrian crisis and its repercussions were the two key challenges threatening the future of peace and stability.
The King reiterated that the Palestinian issue was the crux of the conflict in the region, stressing the need for action to find a just and lasting settlement according to the two-state solution – an independent and viable Palestinian state on 1967 borders and living in peace and security alongside Israel.
He said Jordan backed US Secretary of State John Kerry's current endeavours to remove hurdles for the Palestinians and the Israelis to return to the negotiating table to address all final status issues.
On Syria, King Abdullah reiterated Jordan's support for a political transition to end the drawn-out conflict that had aggravated the sufferings of the Syrian people. He also pointed to the huge burdens Jordan had borne as a result of hosting more than half a million Syrian refugees despite the Kingdom's limited resources.
Turning to the domestic situation, King Abdullah said Jordan was pressing ahead with comprehensive reforms at various political and socio-economic levels and seeking to improve its investment environment to attract Arab and foreign capital, benefiting from its strategic location in the region and partnerships with other nations.
The King answered queries by participants in the gathering on a variety of regional issues.
On the sidelines of the Sun Valley Forum, held annually since 1983 and attended by world leaders to discuss global political and economic issues, King Abdullah held a series of meetings with political, intellectual, economic and academic leaders on cooperation between their institutions and Jordan, and topics of common interest.
He discussed with Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto bilateral ties and regional issues.