AMMAN —
Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates Ayman Safadi denied Tuesday the existence of “any talks of a military alliance
of which Israel would be a part”, and said that this issue is not on the agenda
of US President Joe Biden’s visit to the region.
اضافة اعلان
In an interview
with Al Jazeera TV in Doha, Safadi stressed that there is no talk of an Arab
alliance of which Israel is a part, “and there is no such proposal”.
He said that
what was raised in this context was a question that a journalist directed to
King Abdullah about whether he supports the establishment of an Arab defense
alliance, and it is natural that Jordan supports “every joint Arab
institutional action, whether it is related to defense and security or the
economy.”
Last week, June
24, CNBC American television network quoted His Majesty as saying that he would
support the formation of a
Middle East military alliance similar to NATO, and
that it can be done with countries that are like-minded. But the King also
stressed that “the vision of such a military alliance must be very clear, and
its role should be well defined. Otherwise, it confuses everybody.”
Safadi’s
statements refuted what was reported by Western and Israeli media about the
intention of
Tel Aviv and Arab capitals to build a military alliance to
confront Iran, with the help of the US. On June 20, Israeli Defense Minister
Benny Gantz said that an air defense pact between Israel and its regional
allies, which was “already in action”, had already served to thwart Iran, and
that he hoped it would expand with US President Joe Biden’s visit to Saudi
Arabia next month. Gantz added that “part of that vision is what I call MEAD,
Middle East Air Defense, which we are building amid Iran’s attempts to hit the
region’s countries with rockets, cruise missiles, and UAVs.”
In a related
matter, the Jordanian minister explained that Arab countries are conducting
joint coordination prior to Biden’s visit to the region, and added that his
visit to Doha comes in this context, as he conveyed a message from King
Abdullah to the Emir of Qatar Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani.
Safadi
underlined the centrality of the Palestinian issue and the importance of the
Syrian crisis and Gulf security. He added that “we all demand mechanisms that
guarantee our security through dialogue and problem solving, in addition to
energy and food security. ... There are challenges that require us all to work,
and we will talk with the US on all these matters.”
He said that all
Arab countries want good relations with Iran, “and until we reach this stage, a
dialogue must address all causes of tension.”
Safadi travelled
to Madrid on Wednesday to attend the meeting of
NATO foreign ministers, which
is being held on the sidelines of the alliance’ summit in the Spanish capital,
according to a statement by the Foreign Ministry.
In 1994, NATO
launched the Mediterranean Dialogue Initiative, which includes in its
membership, in addition to the members of the alliance, six Arab countries,
including Jordan, which joined in November 1995.
The initiative aims to
contribute to achieving security and stability in the Mediterranean region and
to enhance common understanding between the alliance and the countries
participating in the initiative.
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