His Majesty King Abdullah on Monday held talks with Austrian President Heinz Fischer and former US president Bill Clinton on the sidelines of the 68th Session of the United Nations General Assembly.
Discussions during the Monday meetings, attended by His Royal Highness Crown Prince Al Hussein bin Abdullah II, focused on bilateral ties and latest regional developments, especially the Syrian crisis and efforts to bring about regional peace.
His Majesty discussed with Fischer prospects for further cooperation between Jordan and Austria at all levels.
The King underlined the need for international consensus on a political, comprehensive and transitional solution to the Syrian crisis that would end the bloodshed and violence and protect the cohesion of Syria and its people.
His Majesty cited the burden Jordan is enduring due to the huge number of Syrian refugees, calling on the UN as well as donor countries and organisations to support the Kingdom in order to mitigate the pressure and help it continue providing humanitarian services to Syrian refugees.
The King also urged the international community to support efforts for peace in the Middle East based on the two-state solution in order to resolve final status issues and establish an independent and viable Palestinian state on Palestinian national soil.
His Majesty expressed the Kingdom’s gratitude for the aid provided by Austria to assist Syrian refugees in Jordan.
For his part, Fischer commended Jordan’s humanitarian efforts in hosting Syrian refugees and providing them with basic services despite its scarce resources.
The Austrian president also lauded the King’s “wisdom” in dealing with the challenges facing the Middle East and his continued efforts to achieve peace, security and stability in the region.
His Majesty discussed with President Clinton the need for the international community to work towards a comprehensive political solution to the Syrian crisis that ensures an end to the violence, bloodshed and suffering of the Syrian people within and outside Syria.
On the Mideast peace process, he called for seizing the moment and building on efforts of the US administration and concerned international and Arab parties to achieve concrete progress.
His Majesty and President Clinton also discussed ways in which the Clinton Foundation could galvanise international efforts to help Jordan carry the burden of hosting hundreds of thousands of Syrian refugees.
For his part, Clinton commended Jordan’s services to Syrian refugees and its role in supporting the Palestinian-Israeli peace process.
Royal Court Chief Fayez Tarawneh, Foreign Minister Nasser Judeh, His Majesty’s Office Director Imad Fakhoury, Jordan’s Ambassador to the US Alia Bouran and Jordan’s Permanent Representative to the UN His Highness Prince Zeid bin Raed attended the two meetings.