His Majesty King Abdullah begins on Monday meetings with a number of political and economic leaders in New York.

King Abdullah, in the US to participate in the 67th UN General Assembly session, will also meet with members of the Council on Foreign Relations, one of the most prominent think-tanks in the US and the world.

Developments in the Syrian crisis and the need to end the suffering of the Syrian people by reaching a peaceful solution that leads to a political transition will top the discussions, in addition to the burden that Jordan is carrying by shouldering its responsibility towards more than 200,000 Syrians who fled the violence.

The Palestinian cause, being a central issue in the Middle East, will take prominence in the King’s meetings. His Majesty will reiterate Jordan’s historic and political stand in supporting the Palestinian people in achieving their legitimate rights and establishing a Palestinian state within the 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital.

The King will also highlight the Kingdom’s political reform achievements, in light of the historic constitutional amendments, the new Elections Law and the establishment of the Independent Elections Commission.

His Majesty will also outline the map for the next stage, with a new Parliament expected to emerge by the beginning of next year, and the imminent formation of the Constitutional Court.

The King is scheduled to address the General Assembly on Tuesday, and hold a number of meetings world leaders and heads of delegations on the sidelines of the UN meeting.

In a statement to the Jordan News Agency, Petra, Foreign Minister Nasser Judeh said: “This week is the most important week at the United Nations, the top-level session with the participation of  kings, presidents and heads of delegations.”

In his address, the King will tackle the latest developments in the region and the world, Judeh said, as well as the domestic reform process.

Judeh added that “the King is keen on tackling many issues, with focus on bringing back to the limelight the issue of Jerusalem and the Hashemite role in protecting Arab, Muslim and Christian holy sites there.”

Other issues include the importance of inter-faith dialogue, the need to respect religions and engage in a dialogue between civilisations instead of violence and counter-violence.