His Majesty King Abdullah II and Syrian President Bashar Al Assad discussed in Damascus on Monday, mechanisms of activating bilateral cooperation especially in the economic field.



Discussions also covered developments in the Palestinian territories,
the situation in Iraq and the process of reforming the Arab League.


During the talks, which came after the launching Al Wihda Dam on
the Jordanian side of the Yarmouk River, King Abdullah and President
Assad affirmed the importance of activating economic cooperation between
Jordan and Syria, and exchanging expertise in this field for the interest
of both countries.


The two sides also agreed to activate agreements signed between
the two countries, and enhance economic cooperation and trade exchange.
The Syrian side expressed interest to benefit from Jordan's experience
in the fields of education, agriculture, irrigation and banking.


Prime Minister Faisal Al Fayez is expected to visit Damascus
later this month to follow up on bilateral issues between the two
countries.


The Joint Jordanian-Syrian Higher Committee is also scheduled
to meet in April to discuss various issues related to cooperation
between the two countries.


Attending the meeting on the Jordanian side were, Prime Minister
Faisal Al Fayez, the King's Advisor for Security Affairs and Director
of the Intelligence Department, General Saad Kheir, Minister of the
Hashemite Royal Court, Sameer Rifai, Foreign Minister Marwan Muasher,
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Khaled Jamil Sarayrah,
and Jordan's ambassador to Syria, Shakir Arabiyat.


During the talks which were held at Al Shaab Palace and attended
by the Syrian Prime Minister Mohammad Utri, Foreign Minister Farouq
Al Sharaa, Chief of Staff of the Syrian army, Director of the Syrian
General Intelligence and the Syrian ambassador to Jordan, His Majesty
and President Assad affirmed that, just and comprehensive peace cannot
be achieved in the region unless Palestinian and Arab rights are recognized,
and unless Israel's withdraws from the occupied Arab territories.


King Abdullah stressed the importance of crystallizing an Arab
position especially during the upcoming Arab summit with a view to
urge the international community to take active and supportive positions
towards the current peace initiatives.


On the future of Iraq, the two sides underlined the importance
of supporting the right of the Iraqi people in regaining sovereignty,
ending the foreign occupation and establishing a national Iraqi government
that represents all segments of the Iraqi society and manages the
country's affairs.


The King and the Syrian president also affirmed the importance
of developing and reforming the Arab League, noting the need to discuss
this issue during the upcoming Arab summit in Tunisia. Both sides
also stressed the importance of unifying Arab positions during the
summit to come up with resolutions that fulfill aspirations of the
Arab people.