Jordan vows to do utmost for Arab summit success

AMMAN — His Majesty King Abdullah on Wednesday said Jordan would exert all necessary efforts to ensure the success of the Arab League’s 28th session, to be hosted in Amman next year.

His Majesty made the remarks during a meeting with Arab League’s Secretary General Ahmed Aboul Gheit, according to a Royal Court statement. 

During the meeting in Al Husseiniya Palace, His Majesty highlighted the need to activate the Arab League's role to achieve a higher level of pan-Arab cooperation, wishing the secretary general success in his tasks. 

They also discussed regional developments, especially the Syrian crisis and the situations in Iraq, Yemen and Libya. 

For his part, Aboul Gheit voiced his appreciation of Jordan's stances in supporting Arab causes. 

The meeting was attended by Royal Court Chief Fayez Tarawneh, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Nasser Judeh and King's Office Director Jafar Hassan. 

Also on Wednesday, Prime Minister Hani Mulki discussed with Aboul Gheit preparations to host the March summit, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported. 

During the meeting, which was attended by Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Bisher Khasawneh, the premier said Jordan is looking forward to hosting a summit that is hoped to enhance joint Arab action and help the nation overcome the challenges it is facing “without foreign intervention”, in addition to enhancing economic cooperation among member states. 

Meanwhile, Judeh said that discussions are under way to set the date for the upcoming summit.

At a joint press conference with Aboul Gheit, he added that the summit is usually held in March and “we are having consultations on the specific date of holding it, as it includes several meetings that include foreign ministers and members of the league’s economic and social council, among others”.

Aboul Gheit said holding the Arab summit and Jordan’s acceptance to host the summit delivers a message to those who support chaos in the region.

The league’s secretariat, he added, would be communicating with Jordan regarding the date of the high-ranking event, voicing hope that “the outcomes of this summit will be different from what came out in the previous ones”.

Both Judeh and Aboul Gheit also stressed that the Arab League’s work mechanism should be upgraded to meet the requirements of the age and the historical stage.

“There are many crucial issues that should be part of the Arab League’s mandate in the upcoming period,” Judeh said, adding that the next summit will serve as a platform to discuss these issues and ways to develop the league’s work mechanism.

Prior to the press conference, Judeh and the visiting official discussed the main issues of concern in the region, including the Syrian crisis, the war against terrorism in Iraq and the unrest in Libya and Yemen.

Both also stressed the importance of resuming direct talks related to the Palestinian cause, which, they said, is the core cause in the region.