AMMAN —
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates
Ayman Safadi and UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres held a meeting, also attended
by UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini, on efforts to provide the
necessary financial and political support to the agency, according to the
Jordan News Agency, Petra.
اضافة اعلان
Safadi, Guterres,
and Lazzarini agreed on the need to act jointly and “effectively” to ensure the
provision of the financial support needed by
UNRWA, which is suffering from a
financial crisis that hinders its capability to provide vital services to
Palestinian refugees, according to a Foreign Ministry statement.
Safadi thanked
Guterres for his efforts to support the agency and its role.
The minister
stressed UNRWA’s “vital” role in supporting Palestinian refugees, and stressed
the Kingdom’s relentless work with international and regional partners to
mobilize political and financial support for the agency, which enables it to
continue providing vital services to refugees, in accordance with its UN
mandate.
Safadi also said
that the agency should continue to provide services until the refugee issue is
resolved in the context of a comprehensive settlement to the Middle East
conflict on the basis of the two-state solution, which guarantees the refugees’
right to return and compensation, in accordance with international law.
For his part,
Guterres stressed the importance of UNRWA’s continued support and the
centrality of its role in providing a “decent” life for Palestinian refugees.
Lazzarini, who had
met with Safadi separately prior to the meeting with Guterres, stressed the
importance of the international community to continue to fulfill its financial
obligations to UNRWA, reviewing the agency’s plans for the coming years, and
the challenges facing its budget and financial deficit.
The three sides
agreed during the meeting to continue coordination to mobilize political and
financial support for UNRWA, and consult and coordinate with partners on ways
to provide the necessary support to the agency, the Foreign Ministry statement
added.
Jordan and
Sweden have organized a series of ministerial meetings in recent years to mobilize
political and financial support for UNRWA.
In addition,
Safadi and the president of the 76th regular session of the UN General
Assembly, Abdulla Shahid, held extensive talks that went over several regional
and international issues, and efforts to resolve crises in the region.
Developments
related to the
Palestinian cause figured top in Safadi’s talks with Shahid, as
the FM stressed the importance of intensifying efforts aimed at achieving a
just and comprehensive peace on the basis of a two-state solution that meets
all the Palestinian people’s legitimate rights, the statement said.
Safadi said the
two-state solution is the only alternative to establish an independent,
sovereign Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital on the June 4,
1967 lines, living in security and peace alongside Israel as the only way to
achieve a just and comprehensive peace.
He also stressed
the need to respect
Jerusalem’s legal and historical status quo, avoid imposing
restrictions on worshipers, and stop all provocative measures in the holy
sites, especially during the holy month of Ramadan.
Shahid lauded
Jordan’s main role, under His Majesty King Abdullah’s leadership, in efforts to
establish security and stability in the region.
Safadi had met
with US Permanent Representative to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield, in a
meeting that discussed Jordan’s “strategic” partnership with the US, the
refugee issue, and regional and international developments.
During his visit to New
York, Safadi met with a group of American think-tanks and research centers, and
a number of representatives of Jewish organizations in dialogues, during which
he highlighted the Kingdom’s positions on regional issues and its efforts to
solve regional crises and achieve security and stability.
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