King Meets With Cheney and Rumsfield

Amman
07 February 2006

His Majesty King Abdullah on Tuesday met US Vice President Dick Cheney. The two discussed regional ties and Jordan-US relations.



During the meeting, King Abdullah urged the US to continue to support for the Middle East peace process, saying that the support of the international community is vital to achieving a just, comprehensive peace based on a two-state solution. He also said financial support for the Palestinian National Authority (PNA) was vital supporting the development of Palestinian institutions and to improving the standard of living of the Palestinian people. He said interational financial support should continue regardless of the outcome of the recent Palestinian elections, which gave the Islamic Resistance Movement, Hamas, a majority in parliament.



Their talks also touched on the situation in Iraq, where voters last month elected a majority Shiite parliament. King Abdullah expressed hope that Iraqis will form a government that represents the country's various political trends, which, he said, would help restore security and stability and would maintain Iraq's unity and sovereignty.



The meeting, also attended by Jordanian Ambassador Washington Karim Kawar, addressed bilateral ties in different areas. The King outlined programs of development and modernization Jordan is implementing. King Abdullah met earlier with US Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfield.