Jordan King, Obama hold summit meeting in California

His Majesty King Abdullah II and U.S. President Barack Obama held a summit meeting in California on Saturday (Amman time) that focused on cooperation and strategic partnership between Jordan and the United States and ways to further boost these in various fields in the interest of both countries.The talks also dealt with the latest developments in the region, mainly efforts to achieve a just and comprehensive peace between the Palestinians and the Israelis, as well as the crisis in Syria.In statements to the press before the meeting, King Abdullah thanked the U.S. President, Administration, people and the Congress for their supportive stances towards Jordan to help it overcome the various challenges it is facing.Jordan, the King said, is pressing ahead with its comprehensive reform program, regardless of the challenges facing the region.He also spoke about Jordan’s membership in the UN Security Council for the coming two years, asserting that “there are many challenges in the region and we look forward to working with the United States and the international community to deal with these and achieve peace and prosperity in the Middle East and the world.”On the peace process, the King praised the role played by the U.S. and its president to bring closer the Palestinian and the Israeli viewpoints. “The leadership of the United States has shown itself to be critical to the peace process,” King Abdullah said, adding that it has “given me a lot of hope.”The King stated that the final status issues between the Palestinians and the Israelis are at the heart of Jordan’s interests, asserting that Jordan’s higher interests are the top priority when it comes to discussing final status issues.“Our major concern in the Middle East is the rise of extremism and the sectarian violence in Syria,” King Abdullah said, thanking Obama for helping Jordan overcome the challenges, especially those related to the tremendous pressure exerted by the Syrian refugees on the Kingdom’s resources.In this regard, the King said that the U.S. was one of the leading supporters, “and we are grateful for that.” The King also asked the international community to increase its assistance to help mitigate the pressure of the Syrian refugees on the Kingdom’s infrastructure.“We consider ourselves an oasis of security and stability and region,” the King said. Obama, on his part, welcomed King Abdullah and called him a “very capable and trustworthy partner.” He also asserted the deep-rooted friendship between the two peoples. The president noted that Jordan’s recent election to serve on the U.N. Security Council will help in further boosting cooperation between the Kingdom and the U.S. in dealing with international issues.Obama said that he was interested to be briefed by King Abdullah about Jordan’s political and economic reform, which is a priority for the King. The president announced that the U.S. will provide a $1 billion loan guarantee for Jordan and also announced that he will seek a new five-year memorandum of understanding with the Jordanian government, through which the U.S. will provide cash and other assistance to boost development in the Kingdom.On the peace process, Obama said that King Abdullah plays a key and credible role, making him an active partner in the peace process. He also thanked the Kingdom for hosting hundreds of thousands of Syrian refugees, who pose a tremendous pressure on its resources, stressing his country’s keenness to support Jordan in hosting these refugees.Obama stressed the need for a political transitional process in Syria to solve the problem there and criticized the Syrian regime for ignoring its people’s interests, pledging that his country would continue to work with all parties to find a diplomatic solution.