King discusses diplomatic ties, regional developments with US representative

AMMAN — His Majesty King Abdullah on Sunday received the US Representative Ileana Ros-Lehtinen who chairs the minor committee for the Middle East and North Africa and an accompanying delegation at Al Husseiniya Palace. 

The meeting, attended by HRH Prince Faisal, addressed the Jordanian-US strategic relations and means to enhance them in all fields, according to a Royal Court statement.

His Majesty voiced appreciation for Ros-Lehtinen's support to the Kingdom and her efforts in bolstering the Amman-Washington relations, the statement said. 

Several regional issues, primarily the peace process were discussed at the meeting, where the King stressed the need for intensified efforts to relaunch the Palestinian-Israeli negotiations to reach a just and lasting peace based on the two-state solution that can lead to the establishment of an independent Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital.

The latest developments related to Syria, and Jordan's burdens resulting from the Syrian refugee crisis, were also discussed during the meeting, the statement said.

For her part, US Representative Ileana Ros-Lehtinen voiced appreciation for Jordan's efforts in achieving peace and stability in the region.

The meeting was attended by the adviser to His Majesty and director of the Office of His Majesty as well as the acting US ambassador to Amman.

Also on Sunday, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates Ayman Safadi met with Ileana Ros-Lehtinen and the accompanying delegation in a separate meeting and discussed bilateral relations and regional developments.

Safadi thanked the US for its support to Jordan in order to overcome its economic challenges.

For her part, Ros-Lehtinen stressed the importance of strengthening the strategic partnership between the two countries, pointing out that Jordan is a true partner of the US in the Middle East.
She also valued the role of His Majesty King Abdullah in establishing security and stability in the region.