US-GCC statement stresses importance of Hashemite Custodianship

AMMAN — A joint statement issued following the meeting of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries and the US on Thursday, stressed the importance of the Hashemite Custodianship over Jerusalem's holy sites, and the need to preserve their historical status quo.

The statement, issued after the Riyadh-held joint ministerial meeting of the GCC-US strategic partnership, stressed the "need to refrain from all unilateral measures that undermine the two-state solution and raise pace of tensions”, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

The statement also affirmed the need to maintain Jerusalem's historical status quo, stressing "Jordan's special role in this regard".

The meeting was attended by the foreign ministers of Oman, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Qatar and Kuwait, in addition to US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken.

In addition, the statement pledged commitment to "reaching a just, lasting and comprehensive peace in the Middle East according to the two-state solution, based on the 1967 borders and any agreement signed by the two sides on the exchange of lands," in accordance with internationally recognised standards and the Arab Peace Initiative.