Jordan, Saudi leaders slam Israeli settlement construction

Jun 15, 2008, 18:08 GMT

Amman - Leaders of Jordan and Saudi Arabia on Sunday condemned Israel's expansion of settlements in East Jerusalem and the rest of West Bank as 'jeopardy' to peace and stability in the region.

Jordan's King Abdullah II paid a whirlwind visit to Jeddah where he and Saudi King Abdullah discussed the latest developments in the peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians, Iraq and Lebanon.

'The two leaders considered Israel's building of new settlements and the expansion of settlements in East Jerusalem as a threat to security and stability in the region,' a joint communiqué said.

'They also asserted that real peace lies in the establishment of an independent Palestinian state on the entirety of the Palestinian land,' the statement added.

The Jordanian and Saudi leaders also stressed the need for supporting Iraq in its endeavours to 'safeguard its unity and sovereignty.'

Jordanian Foreign Minister Salab Bashir said the monarchs discussed the situation in Iraq in the light of the Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki's visit to Jordan which ended on Friday.

Al-Maliki told reporters in Amman on Friday that Jordan was mediating a rapprochement between the Sunni Saudi kingdom and the Shiite-led Iraqi government.