His Majesty King Abdullah on Tuesday met with Speaker of the British House of Lords Baroness D'Souza and a number of senior members of the Houses of Lords and Commons in the headquarters of the British Parliament in London.

During the meeting, they discussed the latest political developments in the Arab world and efforts to bring about peace based on the two-state solution as well as Jordanian-British relations and ways to strengthen them.

King Abdullah expressed his views on the transformations taking place in the Arab world, and their impact on the future of the region, stressing the Arab people’s right to live in freedom, dignity, and justice and participate in shaping the future they aspire to.

King Abdullah said that Jordan is with the Arab consensus regarding the situation in Syria, affirming the importance of stopping violence there, and begin a process of inclusive political dialogue.

Speaking on reform in Jordan, the King said the goal is to implement comprehensive and inclusive reform in line with a specific timetable, to enable wider participation in decision-making.

His Majesty  added that economic reform in Jordan, which positively reflects on citizens' living standards is no less important than political reform.

On peace in the Middle East, the King outlined efforts to achieve peace in the region, stressing that there is no alternative to the two-state solution, which will remain the only way to end the Palestinian-Israeli conflict through the establishment of an independent Palestinian state on the 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital.

The King said the Palestinian issue is the crux of conflict in the region and failure to find a just solution will keep the region hostage to instability.

King Abdullah paid tribute to Britain's role in supporting the peace process, calling for intensified international efforts.

He hailed bilateral relations and the role played by members of the Houses of Lords and Commons in this regard, stressing the need to activate cooperation between the Jordanian and the British parliaments to benefit from Britain's leading legislative experience.

In welcoming remarks, Baroness D'Souza commended bilateral ties and the importance of developing them, hailing the role played by King Abdullah in the region to promote security and stability.

The members of the House of Lords and the House of Commons expressed their willingness to cooperate with their Jordanian counterparts in areas of parliamentary work.

In an interview with the Jordan News Agency (Petra), Baroness Symons, chair of the Arab-British Chamber of Commerce, noted that Jordan is among the beneficiaries of European and British funds supporting Arab democracies, funds that aim at strengthening civil society institutions and supporting democracy initiative and women’s rights programmes.