AMMAN, 28 May 2008 — Jordanian King Abdallah yesterday assured Iraqi Vice President Tareq Hashemi of Jordan’s determination to “boost political and economic” ties with Iraq, but stopped short of committing his country to sending a diplomatic mission to Baghdad at this juncture.
“The monarch emphasized Jordan’s keenness on vitalizing ties of cooperation between the two countries particularly in the political, economic and commercial spheres and in such a manner that serves their common interests,” a royal court statement said.
Hashemi arrived in Amman yesterday in the course of an Arab tour that has the aim of boosting Baghdad’s ties with Arab countries including convincing them to send back their diplomatic missions to Baghdad.
Abdallah expressed support for the Iraqi government’s efforts aimed at “restoring security and stability in Iraq and ending all forms of violence and terrorism,” the statement said.
The Iraqi vice president briefed the monarch on “latest political developments in Iraq and efforts aimed at brining about national reconciliation.”
Meanwhile, members of the parliamentary Foreign Affairs Committee have blasted what they called the “failure” of the country’s foreign policy to improve ties with Syria and to adopt an even-handed policy toward the feuding Palestinian factions of Hamas and Fatah, the daily Al-Arab Al-Yawm reported yesterday.
The lawmakers, who aired their viewpoints during a meeting with Foreign Minister Salah Bashir on Monday, also criticized Jordan’s failure to attend the Arab summit conference, which was held in Damascus at the end of March, the paper said.
“Our absence from the summit was a grave mistake,” member of the lower house, Wasfi Rawashdeh, was quoted as saying. Jordan joined Saudi Arabia and Egypt in attending the summit at ambassadorial level in a bid to pressure Syria into playing a constructive role in efforts aimed at finding a solution to the then raging Lebanese political crisis.
The MPs charged that certain regional players including Israel and the US were trying to “marginalize” Jordan’s foreign policy and prevent Jordan from playing an effective role in regional politics.
