Egypt’s president and Jordan’s king hold talks ahead of summit with Palestinian leader

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Jordan's King Abdullah II, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi and Palestinian leader Mahmud Abbas at a trilateral summit in El Alamein on Egypt's northern coast on August 14, 2023. (Jordanian Royal Palace handout via AFP)
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Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi welcomes Jordan King Abdullah II at El Alamein International Airport on August 14, 2023. (Jordanian Royal Palace handout via AFP)
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Jordan's King Abdullah II, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi and Palestinian leader Mahmud Abbas at a trilateral summit in El Alamein on Egypt's northern coast on August 14, 2023. (Jordanian Royal Palace handout via AFP)
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Updated 15 August 2023
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Egypt’s president and Jordan’s king hold talks ahead of summit with Palestinian leader

  • Abdel Fattah El-Sisi and King Abdullah II discuss bilateral relations before attending a tripartite summit with President Mahmoud Abbas on developments in the Palestinian cause
  • In the final communique from the summit, El-Sisi and Abbas stress the importance of the historical Hashemite custodianship of Islamic and Christian holy sites in Jerusalem

CAIRO: Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi on Monday received a visit from Jordan’s King Abdullah II. Their meeting came ahead of a tripartite summit the same day between Egypt, Jordan and Palestine, in the northwestern city of New Alamein on the North Coast, to discuss the latest developments in the Palestinian cause.

Ahmed Fahmy, a spokesperson for the Egyptian presidency, said the president and the king discussed a number of issues and expressed their satisfaction with the distinguished relationship between their countries.

They also shared their aspirations for enhancing relations in ways that benefit the interests of their nations and their peoples, at a bilateral level and within the framework of a tripartite cooperation mechanism with Iraq, especially at the economic and commercial levels, and discussed a number of regional and international issues of common concern.

The two leaders also reviewed developments related to the Palestinian issue and agreed to strengthen the efforts by their nations to provide full support to “the brothers in Palestine, and work to revive the peace process” to help achieve a just and comprehensive solution to the Palestinian issue in accordance with international legitimacy.

King Abdullah thanked Egypt and El-Sisi for hosting the tripartite summit, and then the two leaders joined Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas for the meeting.

During a tripartite meeting, the leaders discussed “the development of the Palestinian cause” and expressed their support for a “two-state solution” to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict with east Jerusalem as the future Palestinian capital, Fahmy said in a later statement.

In the final communique from the summit, El-Sisi and Abbas stressed the importance of the historical Hashemite custodianship of Islamic and Christian holy sites in Jerusalem, and its role in preserving their Arab identity.

Last week, Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly co-chaired the 31st session of the Jordanian-Egyptian Higher Committee with his Jordanian counterpart, Bishr Al-Khasawneh, at the latter’s office in Amman.

During the meeting they witnessed the signing of 12 agreements for enhanced bilateral cooperation in a number of sectors. They included a memorandum of understanding for cooperation in the field economic and development policies, and others related to financial controls, an executive program in environmental protection, and the field of social affairs.

 


Safety of Jordanians a priority during regional conflict, says country’s crown prince

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Safety of Jordanians a priority during regional conflict, says country’s crown prince

  • He visits Civil Defense Department and is briefed on the work it is doing to manage emergencies and protect lives and property amid attacks by Iran

LONDON: The safety of citizens is a priority for authorities in Jordan amid regional tensions, the country’s Crown Prince Hussein bin Abdullah Al-Hashimi said on Wednesday as he visited the Civil Defense Department for a briefing and iftar event.

He stressed the importance of keeping pace with the latest developments in civil protection systems and taking every opportunity to enhance the skills of Civil Defense personnel, the royal court said.

The department, which operates under the Ministry of Interior, has been working to manage emergencies and protect lives and property amid a barrage of missiles and drones launched by Tehran in recent days in response to attacks on Iran by the US and Israel. The strikes have targeted civilian and military areas in Jordan and other countries in the region.

During his visit the crown prince was greeted by Maj. Gen. Obeidallah Maaytah, director of the Public Security Directorate, and Brig. Gen. Nasser Sweilmeen, the Civil Defense director, and briefed on the work of the Civil Defense Department, the systems it uses, and the ways in which it is responding to the regional conflict.

In addition to firing missiles into Israel, Iran has targeted US forces at Muwaffaq Salti Air Base in Jordan and other American military sites in Gulf countries. Military personnel and civilians in several countries have been killed or injured by missiles or falling debris.