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Ammon News -

Jordan Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates, Ayman Safadi, said Tuesday that the stalemate on the Mideast peace process is a "threat" that must be addressed collectively to restore faith in the peace process.

In a statement submitted to the session of the UN Security Council Quartet on the Middle East dubbed "the Situation in the Middle East, including the Palestinian Question, Safadi urged the international community to exert more efforts to protect the peace process and the peoples' right to live in peace and security.

Safadi, who is also the deputy prime minister, said that a just two-state solution to the conflict is a strategic Arab option, a regional and international necessity and a right for all the peoples in the region.

A lasting and full peace that would guarantee the establishment of a sovereign Palestinian state on January 4, 1967, borders with East Jerusalem as its capital to live in peace along Israel is a goal that the Kingdom will continue striving to achieve, he added.

"Prospects of a two-state solution, hence establishing full and lasting peace, are getting slimmer due to the continued illegal Israeli measures that undermine this solution and blast the concept of land for peace, under which the peace process was launched," Safadi explained.

He said that Israeli's settlement expansion is a violation of international law that undermines peace prospects, which calls for a strong response from the international community, and he highlighted that violations against the Al Aqsa Mosque / Al-Haram Al-Sharif are provocations that instigate escalation.

"There must be real and effective efforts to restart serious negotiations that would create a diplomatic breakthrough to restore trust in the peace process and achieve prosperity and growth to reach the two-state agreement," he added.

He said that the Quartet that is comprised the United States, the European Union, Russia and the United Nations have a key role to play to reinvigorate the peace process.

He reiterated that Jordan will remain an advocate of a just peace that works with allies to achieve peace, emphasizing that the Kingdom will continue protecting the Islamic and Christian sanctities in occupied Jerusalem and preserving the holy city's status quo and identity.

Also, he underscored the importance of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) and its vital services for the Palestinian refugees until a settlement to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict is finalized.

Safadi highlighted that the Kingdom, in partnership with the international community, will exert all efforts to financially and politically support the UNRWA and help it continue its mandate in supporting more than 5.5 million Palestinian refugees.

To that end, he added, Jordan and Sweden have organized the Stockholm Group strategic dialogue on UNRWA to help sustain the support for the agency.

He noted that the challenges to settle the conflict are immense; however, they should be addressed or else they will grow more difficult, as Israel's measures and encroachments continue standing against reaching a solution.

Tunisia, which is a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council, chaired the session.

Safadi congratulated Tunisia Foreign Minister Othman Jerandi for presiding over the Security Council for January and congratulated the Republic of Ireland, Norway, India, Mexico and Kenya for securing seats as non-permanent members of the Security Council.