AMMAN, Jordan, April 7 (NNN-PETRA) – Jordan’s Foreign Minister, Ayman Safadi, said that, “Israel’s continued occupation of Arab territories” obstructs the settlement of the conflict.
In a session during the World Economic Forum at the Dead Sea area, the minister stressed the importance of continued engagement with the U.S., to resolve the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.
“Jordan rejected U.S. recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel,” Safadi said.
Arab ministers during the session renewed commitment to the 2002 Arab Peace Initiative, which they said is key to end the conflict.
“Arabs are committed to the peace deal … The problem is not the lack of assurances but is the continued Israeli occupation,” Safadi said.
Safadi made the remarks as Yusuf Bin Alawi Bin Abdullah, minister of Foreign Affairs of Oman, said that Israel needs assurances about its future and that the Arabs need to remove all their concerns and fears.
Speaking during the session, Elias Bou Saab, Lebanon’s defence minister, said that, the origin of the problem in the Middle East is the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.
On common challenges, he said that, terrorism has no boundaries and in spite of the defeat of the extremist Daesh group, terrorism ideology remains.
Sigrid Kaag, minister of Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation of the Netherlands, said that, Europe is engaged in and supports UN-led efforts to settle the conflict.– NNN-PETRA