US President Barack Obama on Tuesday voiced support for Jordan’s reform efforts and pledged further assistance to the Kingdom to help it counter the current economic situation.
In statements following a meeting with His Majesty King Abdullah in the Oval Office, Obama said assistance worth hundreds of millions of dollars will be allocated to help Jordan.
During their talks, the King and Obama exchanged views on bilateral ties, the latest developments in the Middle East and means to relaunch peace talks between the Israelis and Palestinians.
The two leaders commended bilateral ties and pledged to enhance them, with Obama announcing a new package of assistance to the Kingdom and voicing support for reform efforts in Jordan.
“His Majesty discussed the reform efforts that are taking place inside Jordan… and we welcome the initiatives that His Majesty has already embarked on, and feel confident that, to the extent that he’s able to move these reforms forward, this will be good for the security and stability of Jordan, but also will be good for the economic prosperity of the people of Jordan. And so we’re very pleased to support him on that front,” Obama said.
The King voiced appreciation for US support as well as regional peace efforts.
“I’m delighted to be back here and again take this opportunity to thank you and your government for the tremendous support that you’re showing Jordan economically and the support of the United States and a lot of our friends internationally is enabling us to push reform in an aggressive manner in our country, and again your continued interest and support on the core issue of the Middle East, which is Israeli and Palestinian peace,” His Majesty said in a statement.
The King voiced appreciation for US support towards resolving the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, the central issue in the Middle East.
“We are very, very grateful for the president’s role in all these issues… And I will continue to be a strong partner with you, sir, on all the challenges that we face,” the King said.
Obama said the summit offered the two leaders an opportunity to share views on developments in the Middle East.
“I have valued His Majesty’s advice on numerous occasions, and obviously this meeting was an opportunity for us to share our views on the extraordinary changes that are taking place throughout the Middle East, throughout the region,” he said, adding that the talks tackled the situation in Libya and Arab support for humanitarian efforts in the Arab country.
In addition, he said the talks covered the situation in Egypt and Tunisia, noting that the two “agreed that it’s critical that not only does political reform proceed, but economic reform accompanies those changes there, because so much of what’s taking place has to do with the aspirations of young people throughout the Arab world for their ability to determine their own fate, to get an education, to get a job, to be able to support a family.”
In addition, the meeting delved into the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and highlighted the need to get the parties back to the negotiating table, particularly in view of the changes sweeping the region.
“Jordan, obviously, with its own peace with Israel, has an enormous stake in this. The United States has an enormous stake in this. We will continue to partner to try to encourage an equitable and just solution to a problem that has been nagging the region for many, many years,” said the president.
President Obama concluded by paying tribute to the security and counterterrorism cooperation between the two countries.
During the talks, His Majesty stressed that addressing all final status issues, including borders, refugees and Jerusalem, is a prerequisite for the lasting peace that people aspire to, warning that the current challenges in the region must not hinder efforts to achieve peace, security and regional stability.
Also during the meeting, the King briefed the US president on Jordan’s political reform drive, through which the Kingdom seeks to set a positive example in the region, referring to the mission of the National Dialogue Committee and the panel reviewing the Constitution.
His Majesty underscored that the outcomes of these committees will contribute to the Kingdom’s democratic reform process.
King Abdullah also highlighted the economic challenges facing the Kingdom and measures adopted to overcome them, voicing appreciation of US support for Jordan to achieve sustained development and enhance the performance of the local economy.
Foreign Minister Nasser Judeh, Minister of Planning and International Cooperation Jafar Hassan, Royal Court Adviser Amer Hadidi, and Jordan’s Ambassador in Washington Alia Bouran attended the meeting.
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, White House Chief of Staff Bill Daly, National Security Adviser Tom Donilon and Dennis Ross, special assistant to the US president, among other US officials, were present at the meeting on the US side.