Egypt, Jordan, Iraq Agree on ‘Strategic Cooperation’ to Restore Regional Stability

Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi (C) shakes hands with King Abdullah II of Jordan (L) and Iraqi Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi in Cairo, Egypt, March 24, 2019. (Xinhua/MENA)
Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi (C) shakes hands with King Abdullah II of Jordan (L) and Iraqi Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi in Cairo, Egypt, March 24, 2019. (Xinhua/MENA)
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Egypt, Jordan, Iraq Agree on ‘Strategic Cooperation’ to Restore Regional Stability

Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi (C) shakes hands with King Abdullah II of Jordan (L) and Iraqi Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi in Cairo, Egypt, March 24, 2019. (Xinhua/MENA)
Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi (C) shakes hands with King Abdullah II of Jordan (L) and Iraqi Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi in Cairo, Egypt, March 24, 2019. (Xinhua/MENA)

Egyptian President Abdul Fattah el-Sisi, Jordan's King Abdullah II, and Iraqi Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi affirmed on Sunday during their three-way summit in Cairo their commitment to maintaining strategic cooperation and coordination with Arab countries to restore regional stability and reach solutions to crises.

In a joint communiqué issued after the summit, the three countries called on regional and international efforts to counter terrorism within a holistic approach.

The leaders emphasized the importance of combatting terrorism in all its forms and confronting everyone supporting terrorism by offering financing, armament, safe shelters, or media platforms, according to the communiqué.

They also stressed on the importance to end "the all-out battle" against terrorism, particularly after recent military setbacks suffered by ISIS in Iraq and neighboring Syria.

The meeting also covered the importance of capitalizing on the potential of the three countries' geographical connectivity and their joint strategic and economic interests.

Egypt, Iraq, and Jordan also noted the importance of supporting the Palestinian people in securing all their legitimate rights, including the right to an independent state on their national soil with East Jerusalem as its capital, in line with international laws and relevant UN resolutions.

The three countries agreed to hold regular trilateral meetings to coordinate their positions and policies in the best interests of their peoples and in the pursuit of economic prosperity, while cooperating with fraternal and friendly states and building balanced international relations.

Sunday’s meeting in Cairo comes ahead of the annual Arab League summit due to be held later this month in Tunisia.

The three leaders hoped the upcoming Arab summit in Tunisia would lead to restoring Arab solidarity and bolstering joint action within the framework of the Arab League.

Ahead of the summit, Sisi and King Abdullah held talks focused on the advanced level of Jordanian-Egyptian ties and means to bolster economic and investment cooperation, as well as to maintain coordination on various issues.



US Drops $10 Million Reward for Syria’s al-Sharaa

US Drops $10 Million Reward for Syria’s al-Sharaa
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US Drops $10 Million Reward for Syria’s al-Sharaa

US Drops $10 Million Reward for Syria’s al-Sharaa

The Biden administration said Friday it has decided not to pursue a $10 million reward it had offered for the capture of Ahmad al-Sharaa, whose group led fighters that ousted Syrian President Bashar Assad earlier this month.

The announcement followed a meeting in Damascus between al-Sharaa and the top US diplomat for the Middle East, Barbara Leaf, who led the first US diplomatic delegation into Syria since Assad’s ouster.

Al-Sharaa's Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, or HTS, remains designated a foreign terrorist organization, and Leaf would not say if sanctions stemming from that designation would be eased.

However, she told reporters that Sharaa had committed to renouncing terrorism and as a result the US would no longer offer the reward.
Leaf said the US would make policy decisions based on actions and not words.

"It was a good first meeting. We will judge by the deeds, not just by words," Leaf said in a briefing and added that the US officials reiterated that Syria's new government should be inclusive. It should also ensure that terrorist groups cannot pose a threat, she said.
"Ahmed al-Sharaa committed to this," Leaf said. "So, based on our discussion, I told him we would not be pursuing rewards for justice," she said, referring to a $10 million bounty that US had put on the HTS leader's head.

The US delegation also worked to uncover new information about US journalist Austin Tice, who was taken captive during a reporting trip to Syria in 2012, and other American citizens who went missing under Assad.

US Special Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs Roger Carstens, who was part of the delegation, said Washington would work with Syria's interim authorities to find Tice.

Carstens, who has been in the region since Assad's fall, said he has received a lot of information about Tice, but none of it had so far confirmed his fate one way or another.