Jordan’s King Abdullah Stresses Importance of Preserving Iraq’s Unity

King Abdullah meets with the Iraqi parliament speaker in Amman. (AFP)
King Abdullah meets with the Iraqi parliament speaker in Amman. (AFP)
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Jordan’s King Abdullah Stresses Importance of Preserving Iraq’s Unity

King Abdullah meets with the Iraqi parliament speaker in Amman. (AFP)
King Abdullah meets with the Iraqi parliament speaker in Amman. (AFP)

Jordanian King Abdullah II reiterated the kingdom’s steadfast support for Iraq and its people, security and stability.

King Abdullah on Monday received Iraqi Parliament Speaker Mohammed al-Halbousi at the Basman Palace in Amman.

They discussed means of enhancing the deep-rooted ties between the two countries on all levels.

The meeting covered the outcomes of the recent Jordanian-Iraqi-Egyptian summit held in Baghdad and means of translating them on the ground.

It further discussed the latest regional developments, especially the Iraqi government’s efforts in countering terrorism.

The speaker of the Lower House of Parliament, Abdel Moneim Al-Awdat and his Iraqi counterpart said Monday that Jordan and Iraq need to build on the outcomes of the tripartite summit to further cement cooperation towards achieving strategic integration among the three brotherly countries.

King Abdullah II, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi met in Baghdad in June for a summit that focused on boosting security and economic ties between their countries.

Awdat said Jordan supports efforts to bolster Iraq’s stability, adding that the summit sets a new phase in joint cooperation to guarantee the security and stability of their countries and draw a road map for joint investment projects that meet the aspirations of their people.



Lebanon's New President Says to Ensure State Has Exclusive Right to Carry Arms

This handout photo released by the Lebanese parliament shows Newly elected Lebanese president Joseph Aoun delivering a speech after his election in Beirut, on January 9, 2025. (Photo by LEBANESE PARLIAMENT / AFP)
This handout photo released by the Lebanese parliament shows Newly elected Lebanese president Joseph Aoun delivering a speech after his election in Beirut, on January 9, 2025. (Photo by LEBANESE PARLIAMENT / AFP)
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Lebanon's New President Says to Ensure State Has Exclusive Right to Carry Arms

This handout photo released by the Lebanese parliament shows Newly elected Lebanese president Joseph Aoun delivering a speech after his election in Beirut, on January 9, 2025. (Photo by LEBANESE PARLIAMENT / AFP)
This handout photo released by the Lebanese parliament shows Newly elected Lebanese president Joseph Aoun delivering a speech after his election in Beirut, on January 9, 2025. (Photo by LEBANESE PARLIAMENT / AFP)

Lebanon's newly elected President Joseph Aoun told lawmakers on Thursday that he will work to ensure the state has the exclusive right to carry arms, in his first speech at parliament after he was elected.

His comments were seen partly as a reference to Hezbollah's arsenal, which he had not commented on publicly as the former army commander.

In a first round of voting Thursday, Aoun received 71 out of 128 votes but fell short of the two-thirds majority needed to win outright. Of the rest, 37 lawmakers cast blank ballots and 14 voted for “sovereignty and the constitution.”
In the second round, he received 99 votes.

In his speech in parliament, Aoun also pledged to carry out reforms to the judicial system and fight corruption.

He promised to control the country’s borders and “ensure the activation of the security services and to discuss a strategic defense policy that will enable the Lebanese state to remove the Israeli occupation from all Lebanese territories” in southern Lebanon, where the Israeli military has not yet withdrawn from dozens of villages.

He also vowed to reconstruct “what the Israeli army destroyed in the south, east and (Beirut’s southern) suburbs.”

Thursday’s vote came weeks after a tenuous ceasefire agreement halted a 14-month conflict between Israel and Hezbollah and at a time when Lebanon’s leaders are seeking international assistance for reconstruction.

Aoun said he would call for parliamentary consultations as soon as possible on naming a new prime minister.