Mideast Peace Process « Royalty in the News

Hillary Clinton Dines With Saudi King

U.S. Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, met with the King of Saudi Arabia Monday, after spending the weekend in the Persian Gulf. The two held talks and had a luxurious lunch together at the King’s desert retreat outside of Riyadh.

REUTERS/Saudi Press Agency/Handout

Upon arriving in the desert Kingdom, Clinton was welcomed by Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal, who took her to the camp 35 miles northeast of the Saudi capital. On the way over, the Prince joked with the Secretary about the country’s capital. This might have helped ease Clinton’s meeting with King Abdullah.

“I want you to know, Your Majesty, that His Highness thinks camels are ugly,” Mrs. Clinton said, according to the New York Times.

“I think His Highness was not being fair to camels,” the King reportedly replied.

After sitting for some talks and allowing photographers to snap away from them, King Abdullah escorted the former First Lady to her lunch inside the air-conditioned tent, which is about the size of a circus tent. The meal included lamb, rice, hummus and other foods. The King played a wide-screen TV of a soccer game to perhaps entertain the guests. But some suspected it was to keep them from overhearing his conversation with Clinton.

One of the topics the two likely discussed was Iran and its controversial nuclear program. Clinton was hoping Saudi Arabia would use its influence with China to secure sanctions against Iran because of the program.

But what was probably on the mind of King Abdullah was the Mideast peace process, which has been stalling.

“The peace process is the main issue, of course,” said Saudi foreign ministry spokesman Osama Nugali. “Our position is still the same… that we need to revive the peace process.”

“I’m hopeful that this year will see the commencement of serious negotiations,” Clinton said while in Qatar.

King Juan Carlos Makes First Time Trip to Lebanon

The King of Spain arrived in Lebanon today for his first ever visit to the Middle Eastern country. He was greeted by Lebanese President Michel Suleiman once he stepped off the plane in Beirut. King Juan Carlos would be in Lebanon for two days.

REUTERS/Dalati Nohra/Handout

This visit comes days after Spain took over as head of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon along the Israeli border. Spain has over one thousand UNIFIL troops in the area. The King will inspect those soldiers in the southern part of the country tomorrow.

Suleiman praised relations between his country and the King’s at a state dinner at Baada Palace. The President made a state visit to Spain last year.

President Suleiman also asked Juan Carlos to implement the UN Security Council Resolution 1701 as he slammed Israel for slowing any progress on the Mideast peace process. Spain currently holds the presidency of the European Union, which rotates every six months.

Abdullah & Rania Active in Davos

The King of Jordan attended the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland Friday. He spoke about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and said Jordan will not take over the West Bank.

AP Photo/Michel Euler

“Jordan does not want any part of the West Bank,” King Abdullah II said. “The only credible solution, is the two state solution. There is no Jordanian solution.”

According to the King, if rule over the territory was transferred to his country, it would instead “replace Israeli military rule with Jordanian military rule…and the Palestinians want their own state.”

Sitting in the audience was Abdullah’s wife, Queen Rania, who proudly tweeted about the King’s comments about protecting Jordanians.

“If someone threatens my people I have the right to defend them,” Rania quoted her husband on Twitter.

On Thursday, Abdullah met with Israeli Prime Minister Shimon Peres after reports suggested relations between the two have become strained. During the cordial meeting, the King expressed concern over the Mideast peace process which seems to have stalled.

Meanwhile, Queen Rania is doing more than just tweeting in Davos. She held a press conference on Friday with Milan mayor Letizia Moratti to launch a women’s advisory board for the 2015 World’s Fair and its theme, “Feed the Planet, Energy for Life.”

REUTERS/Arnd Wiegmann

“Who’s at greatest risk when food crises arise, when disaster strikes, when water and fuel are in short supply: women and their children,” Rania said.

“And we see this all too clearly in Haiti today where women are rising from the ashes of the earthquake to create shelters from the rubble, to cook stews on the pavements and to comfort the suffering even as they count their own losses.”

“That’s why I’m keen to get working with this group so we can really reach out to women, especially in my region, the Middle East, where cultural traditions still hold women back from realizing their full potential,” Queen Rania said. “And I really want to see them as being equal partners and progress.”

King Abdullah II Issues Parliamentary Decree While in France

REUTERS/Philippe Wojazer

Jordan’s King Abdullah II decreed parliamentary elections to be delayed until March 2010. This is so politicians can amend the country’s detested election law and ensure fair elections by the time elections come around.

The King issued this decree while on a working visit to Paris on Tuesday. He met with French President Nicolas Sarkozy to discuss ways to bolster economic ties between France and Jordan, as well as go over the Middle East peace conflict.

Sarkozy and Abdullah are aiming to restart peace talks between the Israelis and Palestinians. The King wants Europe and France to support the talks. He has accused Israel of breaching international law and of driving out Christians and Muslims.

Nicolas Sarkozy Meets With Saudi King Abdullah

French President Nicolas Sarkozy arrived in Saudi Arabia today for a working visit to the country. He met King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz al-Saud at the King Khalid International Airport, and was taken to the King’s farm in Janadriya, outside of Riyadh, where Sarkozy will spend the night.

REUTERS/Philippe Wojazer/Pool

The President’s main purpose on this visit is to urge Mideast peace talks to continue.

“It is urgent because the current deadlock plays into the hands of extremists and each day the chance of peace is slipping away a little,” Sarkozy told a Saudi newspaper.

At the same time, the King and the President probably also discussed France selling helicopters, naval frigates and high-speed trains to a country looking to increase its development. Civilian nuclear agreements was also on the list.

What might also have been discussed was the possibility of a peace conference in Paris. It is rumored President Sarkozy wants to bring together leaders from the Mideast, Russia, United States, plus the UN and the EU to discuss the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Sarkozy will be leaving Saudi Arabia tomorrow. He will head to Qatar before going back to France.

Mahmoud Abbas Received by King Mohammed VI

On Monday, Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas arrived in Casablanca for a global forum on the Mideast peace process. He was welcomed by Moroccan King Mohammed VI.

The two leaders discussed a number of issues, but most importantly, the Palestinian territories.

Abbas is in Morocco for the Al Quds International Forum, which King Mohammed is the patron of.

Maghreb Arab Presse

King Abdullah II Expresses Concern Over Mideast Peace Process

Tuesday began King Abdullah II’s state visit to Italy, at the invitation of President Giorgio Napolitano. His visit will last until Friday, and discussions between the two countries would range from boosting economic and bilateral ties.

REUTERS/Paolo Giandotti/Italian Presidency Press Office/Handout

Also on the agenda will be the Mideast peace talks, which King Abdullah is trying desperately to start again. He has voiced concern over the slowing down of the talks, and disappointment over the United States showing more interest in Iran than in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

“If by 2010 Israel doesn’t believe in two states, the possibility of a Palestinian state will vanish,” Abdullah told the Italian newspaper la Reppublica before his visit to Italy. “The most often-repeated question in the Arab world today is, does Israel really want peace?”

President Napolitano called Jordan “a pillar of stability for the entire region.” He also praised King Abdullah’s “enlightened work, in times of great tension, to promote dialogue and understanding between the religions.”

Azerbaijan President Visits Jordan

The President of Azerbaijan made a state visit to Jordan this week. His two day stay ended Tuesday.

Reuters

President Ilham Aliyev and First Lady Meribhan Aliyeva were welcomed by King Abdullah II and Queen Rania. A welcoming ceremony took place at the royal palace, where the King and the President observed the Bedouin guards of honor. After that, the leaders and their glamorous wives went inside for talks.

President Aliyev was invited by King Abdullah to the Hashemite Kingdom to discuss not only bilateral ties, but the Mideast peace process. The two men encouraged intensified efforts to launch the peace talks. Both Abdullah and Aliyev believe that the conflict should be solved by creating a state for the Palestinians.

After talks concluded, the King and Queen Rania held a dinner banquet in honor of their Azeri guests.

Queen Rania’s Visit to the U.S.

During this week, Jordan’s Queen Rania has been in the United States, touring on behalf of her country and of UNICEF. She has been speaking with the press and meeting with Americans in regards to education and the Israeli-Palestinian peace process.

Chris Hondros/Getty Images

First, on Monday, the Queen stopped by the Young Women’s Leadership School in East Harlem. As UNICEF’s first eminent advocate for children, as well as the United Nations Girls’ Education Initiative’s (UNGEI) honorary global chairperson, Queen Rania gave the girls a few inspirational words.

“I want you, girls with voices, to speak up and shout out for girls whose cries fall silent. I want you to fight for them, as others are fighting for you. I want you to pull up another girl, and help her stand tall and strong. I want you to be great and inspire greatness in others. If anyone can do it, you can.”

“Providing quality education to girls is a sound investment that helps build a brighter future for their communities and their countries,” said Ann M. Veneman, the executive director of UNICEF, who was with the Queen on Monday. “Her Majesty Queen Rania is a strong voice promoting access to a quality education for children around the world.”

Tuesday, Rania went up to Yale University for a Q & A session with its students, faculty and staff. There, she switched from being an advocate for girls’ education, to a voice for the Palestinians in the Mideast peace process.

“In Palestine, walls are going up rather than coming down,” the Queen, who is a Palestinian origin, said. “Time has not been a friend” to the Palestinians.

“Land is the geography of the Palestinian soul,” she continued, and each new settlement on the West Bank “is a blow to their existence.”

Below is video of Queen Rania’s visit to Yale:

Wednesday night, the Queen attended the Important Dinner for Women at the Cipriani’s 42nd street restaurant. Attended by various high profiled women, such as Wendi Murdoch, Sarah Brown, Nicole Kidman and Liya Kebede, the event discusses ways

Jordan News Agency

to help women survive childbirth in third world countries, where mortality rate for such women is high.

On Thursday, Queen Rania had two major events. One was the commemoration on the UNRWA’s 60th anniversary. The UNRWA, which was set up to aid Palestinian refugees.

“UNRWA’s presence reminds the Palestinian people that they are not alone; that in their darkest hours, an international aid agency stands by their side,” the Queen said. ”

You know, this is one event I wish I wasn’t at. I wish there was no need for UNRWA. I wish there was no anniversary to mark and I wish that there were not for 6 million Palestinian refugees in need of humanitarian aid. But you and I know the reality is very different.Theirs is a life interrupted, a life half lived.”

Later in the afternoon, she took part in a forum at the Clinton Global Initiative.

On Monday, Queen Rania said on Twitter, “Arrived in NYC for work. As always, excitement and trepidation. Will I be able to champion the causes & people I represent well enough?”

Well, Your Majesty, many people would say you did your job very well!

Jordanian King Makes Pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia

King Abdullah II stopped by Saudi Arabia on Tuesday for a religious and political pilgrimage to the birthplace of Islam.

Reuters

First, the King performed the Umrah, or mini pilgrimage to Mecca. While the Umrah could be done at any time, Ramadan is a favorite time for Muslims to travel to the holy city.

King Abdullah did the ritual in the morning, and in the evening, he did the ishaa (evening) prayers and taraweeh (special Ramadan prayers) with Muslims from all over the globe.

Between those two religious events, the King met with his Saudi counterpart to discuss the Israeli-Palestinian peace process. The two King Abdullahs agreed that the creation of a Palestinian state needed to be done “as soon as possible,” according to a Royal Court statement.

The two Kings “looked into efforts to resolve the Palestinian-Israeli conflict based on the two-state solution within a regional context”, the statement said, adding that the solution must “entail a lasting and comprehensive peace in the Middle East in accordance with the relevant terms of reference, especially the 2002 Arab Peace Initiative.”

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