King holds meeting with British legislators, intellectuals

AMMAN — His Majesty King Abdullah on Wednesday held separate meetings in London with the chairmen and members of the defence, foreign affairs and the intelligence and security committees in the UK parliament as well as political and ideological leaders, a Royal Court statement said.

The meetings covered issues in the Middle East, particularly the Syrian crisis, efforts to combat terrorism and the donor conference scheduled to take place in London on Thursday.  During the meeting with the defence and foreign affairs committees, His Majesty highlighted the growing burdens Jordan is shouldering as a result of hosting Syrian refugees. 

The Monarch stressed the importance of the donor conference in London and said it should come up with decisions that enable the Kingdom to deal with the Syrian crisis through development and economic projects and support affected sectors to overcome increasing pressures. 

Now is the time for the international community, the EU and regional and international organisations to step forward and offer the necessary support to Jordan, the King said, noting that the Kingdom is offering more than its capabilities allow.

Moreover, he voiced appreciation for the UK’s support to Jordan which enables it to resume offering humanitarian services to the Syrian refugees residing in its lands. 

As for the developments in Syria, the King renewed Jordan’s stance that calls for finding a comprehensive political solution to the crisis that ends the violence and preserves the unity of the land and the Syrians.

Discussing the issue of combating terrorism, the King stressed the importance of intensifying efforts and standing up to terrorist groups within a strategic comprehensive approach, as terrorism targets the whole world.

The King also highlighted the UK’s role in combating terrorism through its participation in the anti-Daesh international coalition.

His Majesty stressed the importance of intensifying international efforts to revive the Palestinian-Israeli peace negotiations to reach a two-state solution, noting that the lack of the negotiations only increases violence and extremism and helps terrorist groups achieve their goals.

The meeting also covered the situation in Iraq and Libya and the importance of supporting them to enhance their security and stability as well as the depth of the Jordanian-UK relations in all fields, particularly security and defence.

For their part, the chairmen and members of the two committees voiced the UK’s appreciation of His Majesty’s efforts to achieve peace and stability in the Middle East and to defeat terrorism. 

In a separate meeting with the chairman and members of the UK parliament’s intelligence and security committee, the Monarch said not reaching a political solution to the Syrian crisis would only worsen the security and humanitarian conditions in the region, causing more refugee influx to the world.

For their part, the chair and members of the UK parliament’s intelligence and security committee commended Jordan’s efforts to achieve peace and stability in the region and the world.

His Majesty also met with British intellectual and political leaders and discussed the latest regional developments, especially in Syria and the fight against terrorism.

Royal Court Chief Fayez Tarawneh, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Nasser Judeh, King’s Office Director Jafar Hassan and Jordan’s Ambassador to the UK Mazen Hmoud also attended the meetings.

In remarks to the Jordan News Agency, Petra, Hmoud said the donor countries and international banks participating in Thursday’s conference will focus on the principles of the Jordan Response Plan to support the state budget and host communities.

Support for Jordan’s efforts in hosting Syrian refugees will target the state budget, local host communities, infrastructure, schools, hospitals, energy and the labour market, by creating more job opportunities, the ambassador told Petra.