FM, Greek counterpart hold expanded talks

Amman: Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates, Ayman Safadi, and his Greek counterpart, Giorgos Gerapetritis, held Monday expanded talks on developments in the situation in Gaza and the efforts to put an end to the aggression and the humanitarian catastrophe it causes. The two ministers addressed measures to improve bilateral coordination and cooperation under the partnership with the European Union (EU) and within the trilateral cooperation mechanism with Cyprus. In a joint press conference following the discussions, Safadi said that the purpose of this visit was to examine the tragic conditions that continue to exist in the Gaza Strip, as well as the measures that are being taken to halt this calamity, cease this aggression, and send humanitarian supplies to the Strip as soon as possible." "Minister Gerapetritis and I discussed the dire circumstances in Gaza, the risk of this war spreading, and its catastrophic effects on the credibility of international law and the status of many nations in our region in general," Safadi went on to say. "I reaffirmed that since the start of the aggression, the Kingdom has maintained a clear and consistent position: we must put an immediate stop to this aggression, reject any excuse or rationale for continuing it, and implement quick and efficient procedures to provide the Gaza Strip with all the aid it needs, bearing in mind that the amount of aid that has so far reached Gaza has, by international estimates, not exceeded 10% of the sector's needs. Any further discussion must begin with stopping the aggression and be predicated on a set of principles announced by the Kingdom, the first of which is rejecting any security role or presence for Israel in Gaza and treating Gaza as part of the occupied Palestinian territory. Any future approach must seek a comprehensive settlement to the issue based on the two-state solution, which envisions an independent, sovereign Palestinian state with occupied Jerusalem as its capital, coexisting in security an d peace with Israel," Safadi added. Safadi continued that "this war will not bring security to Israel, and it threatens the security of the entire region." He emphasized that the Security Council and the entire world community must now accept responsibility and take action to put an end to this onslaught. Source: Jordan News Agency