US President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania received Jordan's King Abdullah II and Queen Rania at the White House on Monday, where they held talks focused on bilateral relations, regional and international issues, and the US-Israeli peace plan.
Following the meeting, Trump said that significant progress has been made in the Middle East, but he declined to say when the White House would propose his peace plan between Israelis and Palestinians.
When asked by reporters about the release date of the plan, Trump replied: “We’re doing very well in the Middle East. A lot of progress has been made in the Middle East. A lot. And it really started with the end of the horrible Iran deal. That deal was a disaster, and things are a lot different since we ended that. A lot different.”
The US president praised Jordan's efforts to host refugees and push forward peace efforts. He told the King Abdullah: “You have done an incredible job on the refugees and the camps and taking care of people.”
For his part, King Abdullah expressed Amman’s appreciation for the United States’ support in economic and military areas.
US and Jordanian officials held closed-door talks on fighting terrorism, Iranian threats and the Syrian crisis, as well as pushing for lasting peace between Palestinians and Israelis, said White House officials.
King Abdullah II's visit to Washington comes after he received Trump’s son-in-law and adviser Jared Kushner and Middle East envoy Jason Greenblatt in Amman last week. Talks centered on Washington’s Middle East peace plan, known as the "Deal of the Century", which the US administration is yet to reveal.
Following his meeting with Kushner, the Jordanian King received Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who made a rare visit to Amman. The two leaders stressed the need to make progress in resolving the Palestinian-Israeli conflict on the basis of the two-state solution and in accordance with international law, relevant UN resolutions and the 2002 Arab peace initiative.
Kushner met Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Egyptian President Abdul Fattah al-Sisi and Netanyahu during his five-day regional tour. The visit did not include meetings with Palestinian officials, who have boycotted the US administration after it declared Jerusalem as the capital of Israel in December and moved its embassy from Tel Aviv in May.
According to US reports, Kushner received the same assurance during his meetings with Arab leaders, who insisted on a two-state solution and the establishment of a Palestinian state as a basis for peace between the two sides.
King Abdullah aims to convince the Trump administration to support the two-state solution and put an end to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, but the administration does not seem to embrace this approach, and it is not clear whether a Palestinian state will be part of Trump's plan.
King Abdullah II had arrived in Washington on Friday where he met with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross, Defense Secretary James Mattis and National Security Adviser John Bolton.
