Jordan’s Minister of Information Taleb Rifai said Amman will try to ensure that the forthcoming Arab summit, scheduled to be held in Cairo on Saturday, sends the clear message that all Arab countries support the Palestinian position. He told a press conference Wednesday that it will be left to the Arab leaders at the summit to translate their support into decisions.
He said Jordan and Egypt will coordinate efforts in the interest of the Palestinians,” we will use all available means to support them, but we must show practicality in using such means.”
Rifai noted that the Syrian president Bashar Assad’s visit to Jordan is part of the coordination among Arab countries ahead of the summit.
Assad arrived in Amman Wednesday as head of state to hold talks with King Abdullah II ahead of the Arab summit on the violence in the Middle East, reported AFP.
He flew in from Saudi Arabia to a 21-gun salute at Marka military airport and was greeted by the king and senior government officials before heading off for talks, an AFP correspondent said.
Libyan leader Muammar Kaddafi Tuesday read out on Al-Jazira satellite television what he described as the final statement to be issued by the forthcoming summit,” it’s his right to have his own belief and thinking, as to what should be in the final statement, it is quite normal to prepare for any meeting in advance, and it is not fair to talk about a final statement of a summit that has yet to convene,” the minister remarked.
Rifai’s remarks came one day after the Sharm Sheik summit issued a statement calling for an to end ‘violence’ and the restoration of calm in the Palestinian lands.
Rifai denied media reports that Jordan had requested to attend the summit. “We were not only invited, but we were part of the (summit) make-up, we were invited and went there to support the Palestinian people and lift the siege imposed on them. Any talk that Jordan had requested to attend the Sharm Sheik summit is baseless,” he told the press conference.
Rifai reiterated a view shared by the Jordanians and the Palestinians that the summit’s results did not meet their expectations, ”we went to Sharm Sheik with one objective in mind - to lift the siege imposed on the Palestinian people, and not for any other purpose. Jordan had emphasized that implementation of what had been agreed upon will be the criteria.”
In response to a question from Albawaba about reports that the Israeli prime minister blasted the Jordanian people during his meeting with Jordan’s King Abdullah, Rifai said neither Barak nor anyone else dares to slam the Jordanian people in the presence of the king. The king’s role was clear and decisive, he said, in voicing to Barak the Arab support for the Palestinians.
Israel claimed Monday that two soldiers were wounded by gunfire that erupted from the Jordanian border area. Rifai said there is no proof to confirm Israel’s claims but the “incident is being investigated and findings will be announced in the next two days,” he indicated.
Referring to recent troubles that erupted during demonstrations in Jordan in support of the Palestinians, Rifai said that 28 people arrested in connection with such incidents have been sent to court and that no one remained in custody – Albawaba.com
© 2000 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
