Arab League chief in Jordan to discuss anti-terrorism

AMMAN — Prime Minister Abdullah Ensour on Thursday met with Arab League Secretary General Nabil El Araby and an accompanying delegation over the latest developments in the region, with focus on pan-Arab anti-terrorism efforts.

Both sides stressed the importance of having a unified Arab will to deal with political situations in the Arab arena, especially the threats of terrorism, extremism and violence, through activating all tools and methods necessary to preserve Arab national security.

Ensour and Araby highlighted the importance of addressing religious discourse through spreading moderation that guarantees the right to life and coexistence, and emphasises the right of Arab peoples to enjoy security and stability, in addition to dealing with hard economic situations.

They also discussed the Arab League Secretariat General’s preparations for the Arab summit scheduled to be held late March, in addition to issues listed on the agenda of the Arab foreign ministers meeting slated to be held next week in Cairo.

Ensour said that Jordan’s relations with all Arab countries are stable and based on mutual respect and common interests, stressing that the stability and prosperity of all Arab countries and peoples are a Jordanian higher interest. 

The prime minister also highlighted the importance of the Arab League’s role to develop pan-Arab ties and stimulate more Arab action aimed to serve pan-national issues.

In this regard, Ensour noted that the current secretariat has achieved many successes and has had good experiences that can be utilised to build on these achievements to enhance Arab solidarity.

Araby underscored the importance of unifying all Arab efforts to confront threats posed against Arab security, and activating plans and strategies to achieve this goal.

The secretary general said that there are many provisions in the Arab League Charter that need revision in addition to reconsidering the Joint Arab Defence Agreement in a way that corresponds to the current situations to be able to deal with them within a joint Arab effort.

Also on Thursday, Foreign Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Nasser Judeh met with Araby and reviewed the latest developments in the Palestinian issue.

They stressed the importance of resuming serious and effective negotiations according to a scheduled timetable that would result in establishing an independent Palestinian state within the pre-1967 lines with East Jerusalem as its capital based on the two-state solution.

They also discussed the developments in Syria and Iraq, reiterating the importance of dialogue and reaching a political solution to all issues. 

Araby expressed the league’s keenness to continue cooperation and coordination with Jordan due to its core role in dealing with regional issues and its membership in the UN Security Council.