Jordan Annuls 2 Peace Treaty Annexes with Israel

King Abdullah II holds meeting with political figures at Al Husseiniya Palace Sunday/Petra news agency
King Abdullah II holds meeting with political figures at Al Husseiniya Palace Sunday/Petra news agency
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Jordan Annuls 2 Peace Treaty Annexes with Israel

King Abdullah II holds meeting with political figures at Al Husseiniya Palace Sunday/Petra news agency
King Abdullah II holds meeting with political figures at Al Husseiniya Palace Sunday/Petra news agency

Jordan’s King Abdullah II decided on Sunday to terminate the 1994 Peace Treaty annexes on Baqura and Al Ghamr, which had allowed Israel to use the two territories.

“Baqura and Ghamr areas have always been our top priority, and our decision is to end Article 2 of Annexs I (b) of the Israel-Jordan Peace Treaty, emanating from our keenness to take whatever is necessary for Jordan and the Jordanians,” the King wrote on his Twitter account.

Accordingly, the Jordanian Foreign Ministry handed over to the Israeli Foreign Ministry on Sunday two memos informing the government of the Kingdom's decision to cancel annexes of Baqura and Ghamr areas from the peace treaty.

Later, during a meeting with political figures at Al Husseiniya Palace, King Abdullah said Israel was informed of Jordan’s decision, Petra news agency reported.

“We informed Israel of terminating Article 2 of Annex I (b) of the Israel-Jordan Peace Treaty on Baqura and Ghamr areas,” the King said.

He said Baqura and Al Ghamr are Jordanian territories. “They will remain as such, and we exercise full sovereignty over our territories," King Abdullah was quoted as saying.

The King noted that the issue, which has been widely debated, has been a top priority for a long time.

"Our priorities amidst current difficult regional conditions are to protect our interests and exert all possible efforts in the interest of Jordan and Jordanians," he affirmed.

The meeting’s attendees commended the key decision to terminate the Peace Treaty annexes, describing it as a national measure that serves higher Jordanian interests.

The political figures spoke about a number of domestic issues, including economic conditions, political reform, and the rule of law, stressing the importance of the King’s discussion papers in this regard.



France: The Arrest of Writer Boualem Sansal in Algeria is ‘Unacceptable’

Renowned French Algerian novelist Boualem Sansal (AFP)
Renowned French Algerian novelist Boualem Sansal (AFP)
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France: The Arrest of Writer Boualem Sansal in Algeria is ‘Unacceptable’

Renowned French Algerian novelist Boualem Sansal (AFP)
Renowned French Algerian novelist Boualem Sansal (AFP)

French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot described on Wednesday the “baseless” arrest of renowned French-Algerian novelist Boualem Sansal in Algeria as “unacceptable”.
“Nothing in Boualem Sansal’s activities justifies the accusations that have led to his imprisonment,” Barrot told FranceInfo.

Sansal, 75, who obtained French citizenship earlier this year, was arrested this month at Algiers airport upon returning from France.
“The detention of a French writer without grounds is simply unacceptable,” the FM said.
Barrot also said state services are fully mobilised in Algiers and Paris to monitor Sansal’s situation and allow him access to consular protection.
Sensal has been questioned by Algeria’s anti-terrorism prosecutor and was placed in detention, his French lawyer, Francois Zimeray, said.
The writer was indicted Tuesday under Algeria’s Article 87 bis on charges of “undermining the integrity of the national territory,” the lawyer added.
On Friday, Algeria’s state news agency APS finally acknowledged his arrest without clarifying the circumstances.
Sansal, who has repeatedly criticized Algerian officials, was arrested on November 16 on arrival at Algiers airport.
Zimeray said that, “the deprivation of liberty of an 80-year-old writer because of his writings is a serious act.”
He added, “Whatever injuries or sensitivities are invoked, they are inseparable from the very concept of freedom, which has been hard-won in Algeria,” according to AFP.
“If there must be an investigation, it in no way justifies extending the detention of Boualem Sansal,” the lawyer said.
When questioned on Tuesday in the French National Assembly about the possibility of punishing Algerian officials in this highly sensitive issue, the Minister Delegate for Foreign Trade, Attractiveness and French Nationals Abroad, Sophie Primas, said: “At this stage, I cannot tell you more because diplomacy requires action in silence, not silence itself.'"