Jordan eager to strengthen ties with France

Sabato 11 Feb 2012 15:34:11

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Giordania

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During the meeting, King Abdullah expressed hope that the French premier’s visit would be an opportunity for the two sides to progress in bilateral ties, particularly in economic matters and investment, noting that France has the largest volume of investments in Jordan among non-Arab states.

Earlier in the day, Prime Minister Samir Rifai met with Fillon, who arrived in the Kingdom Saturday on a two-day visit, and discussed with him issues of mutual concern.

Following their meeting, the two premiers held a joint press conference, during which they reiterated their keenness to boost ties and encourage French investments in Jordan.

“The visit was successful by all means. Our discussions touched on various issues, on top of which was the peace process and efforts currently being exerted by all parties in that direction,” Rifai said, adding that Jordan supports all efforts to address the conflict between the Palestinians and Israelis on the basis of a two-state solution.

He reiterated that a just and comprehensive peace in the region is a top priority for Jordan, stressing the centrality of the Arab Peace Initiative and international resolutions towards achieving this goal.

With regards to Jordan’s request to obtain advanced status with the EU, Rifai said the talks between the two sides made significant progress, pointing out that France has been supportive of the Kingdom’s request.

Fillon, for his part, said his country supports King Abdullah’s vision regarding the urgent need to resume peace talks as soon as possible, as the situation cannot tolerate any further delays.

On regional peace, the French premier said the views of both countries are in total agreement, stressing that there is no other path but the path of peace that is based on the establishment of an independent and viable Palestinian state on the basis of the 1967 borders in accordance with UN Security Council resolutions and the Arab Peace Initiative.

He expressed France’s support to King Abdullah’s vision of the need to resume and sustain progress in the peace process, underlining the vital role played by Jordan “as a facilitator for efforts to reach a final peace agreement in the region”.

Reiterating France’s willingness to host a conference on peace in the region, Fillon said: “It is urgent at this stage to resume the negotiations because the time that passes is not in the interest of any of the parties concerned.”

He stressed that “peace cannot be achieved without the establishment of a viable Palestinian state to live in secure borders on the basis of the Arab Peace Initiative.”

Fillon underlined that French President Nicholas Sarkozy will meet Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in Paris today to discuss all proposals related to the peace process, referring to Sarkozy’s “very inspirational and courageous” speech in the Israeli Knesset, in which he envisioned the future of a Palestinian state and its borders with Jerusalem as the capital of two states.

The French premier added that France is working to develop its relations with all parties concerned with peace in the Middle East, noting that during his trip to Syria, which he visited before coming to Jordan, he said that Syria should play an important role in relaunching the peace process.

He noted that the “Union for the Mediterranean”, which was launched by France in 2008, aims to establish neighbourly relations between all countries on both sides of the Mediterranean based on mutual respect and trust, and to balance development between both sides.

In response to a question about nuclear cooperation between Jordan and France, Fillon highlighted the agreement signed yesterday making way for uranium mining in the Kingdom by the French company Areva, adding that the two sides also reviewed the company’s offers to build a nuclear reactor in Jordan.

He added that this cooperation, which also includes establishing a centre of excellence to train Jordanian engineers and technicians in nuclear energy, will contribute in building a full partnership between Jordan and France in the field of nuclear technology to enable and empower neighbours to take advantage of these techniques in the fields of renewable energy and water, which are a matter of necessity for Jordan.