His Majesty King Abdullah on Tuesday said the recent crisis in Lebanon underscores the necessity of achieving a just, lasting and comprehensive resolution to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.
King Abdullah, who made a visit to Pakistan for talks with President Pervez Musharraf on the situation in the Middle East, expressed hope that the international community would help the Lebanese government in extending its sovereignty and its control over all of its borders by ensuring the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Lebanon and finding a comprehensive solution towards a permanent ceasefire.
The King also urged the establishment of an independent Palestinian state, co-existing side-by-side with Israel, and called on the two sides to resume peace negotiations, in line with the Arab Peace Initiative, adopted by Arab leaders at their Beirut summit in 2002.
“We can no longer depend on a piecemeal or unilateral solution and must work in a determined and expeditious manner to restart negotiations between Palestinians and Israelis,” he said.
Musharraf, meanwhile, urged the international community and the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) to extend generous help to both Lebanon and the Palestinian Authority for their rebuilding and rehabilitation efforts.
“Loss of a large number of innocent lives and massive destruction in Lebanon as a result of the flagrant Israeli offensive has caused us deep anguish and despair,” Musharraf added.
“It is essential that Israeli withdrawal and the restoration of Lebanese sovereignty and integrity take place urgently so that the root cause of the recurring problems in the Middle East could be addressed.”
King Abdullah later arrived in Baku to meet with Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliyev.
The two leaders described their talks as very productive that covered several bilateral, regional and international issues.
According to Musharraf, Amman and Islamabad have “a complete consensus on regional and international issues, especially those confronting the Muslim world”.
The King said: “Pakistan is indeed an important country and we would very much like it to continue playing a key role in bringing peace and security in the region.”
The Jordan Times