AMMAN, 14 February 2007 — Jordan’s King Abdallah and visiting Russian President Vladimir Putin yesterday agreed to pool their efforts to help revive long-stalled peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians. “President Putin and I agreed that negotiations toward the establishment of a viable, independent Palestinian state should be accelerated,” the king said after more than two hours of talks with Putin.
“We are witnessing a unique opportunity to restart the effort to achieve a comprehensive Middle East peace,” he said. Russia has “an important role to play” as member of the diplomatic Middle East Quartet, which also comprises the United States, the United Nations and the European Union, the king added.
Meanwhile, Jordan’s State Security Court prosecution has officially charged 17 people, including five who are at large, with recruiting people to fight Americans in Iraq and carry out suicide attacks there, judicial sources said yesterday.
Some of the 12 detained suspects were arrested in the city of Irbid, about 80 kilometers North of Amman, on Jan. 9, during a raid on a house by General Intelligence Department personnel and anti-terror police units, they added.
The shootout resulted in the death of an Al-Qaeda member, Suleiman Anjadi, and the injury of several police officers.
