Talks between His Majesty King Abdullah II And President Arafat

Amman
12 November 2001

His Majesty King Abdullah II and Palestinian President Yasser Arafat Monday discussed the international moves aiming at moving the peace process in the region, and the current developments in the Palestinian territories.

His Majesty briefed Arafat on the efforts he carried out during the past few weeks to convince the international community pertaining the necessity to move the peace process and support the Palestinian people~s demands of establishing their independent state on their national soil. The King affirmed the importance to use the currently available opportunity to get out of the circle of violence and pave the road towards the resumption of peace negotiations.

During their meeting today, attended by Prime Minister and Chief of the Royal Court, as well as Palestinian officials accompanying President Arafat, His Majesty stressed that any peaceful move should be based on the Security Council~s resolutions 242 and 338, and should enable the Palestinian people restore all of their rights, in the forefront their right to establish their independent state with Jerusalem as its capital.

President Arafat, who left Amman following a short visit, expressed appreciation on the consistent efforts of His Majesty King Abdullah II, the head of the Arab summit, to urge the international community support the establishment of a viable independent Palestinian state side by side with the state of Israel.

Earlier, during his meetings with officials in US, Europe and Russia, His Majesty stressed the necessity to move for supporting the Palestinian people~s legitimate demands. And in his speech to the House of Commons, where His Majesty was the first Arab leader to deliver a speech from this floor, the King affirmed that without the establishment of an independent Palestinian state there will be no peace in the Middle East.

King Abdullah II and Palestinian President Arafat hailed the European and American moves aiming at bringing the peace process back to normal situation and to launch the negotiations on the international legitimacy basis and agreements signed between the Palestinian and Israeli sides. They stressed the importance to build up a unified Arab stand to mobilize support for the Palestinian people~s rights at this stage which witnesses active international move pertaining the peace process in the region.