Jordan’s King Abdullah II held talks on the Syrian crisis with Chinese President Xi Jinping on Wednesday, reported Agence-France-Presse on Wednesday.
In a meeting with Xi at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, the king described China as “a team member of the United Nations Security Council and a friend of Jordan and the Middle East.”
They would discuss “ways and means of achieving peace, stability, civility and prosperity in our region through an active role in the peace process as well as that of the Syrian conflict,” the king told Xi, on the last day of his four-day trip.
Tensions between the West and Moscow- which is usually backed by Beijing in U.N. Security Council deliberations- have grown over how to eliminate Syria’s chemical weapons stock following an Aug. 21 chemical weapons attack that Washington says was perpetrated by Bashar al-Assad’s forces.
Despite a weekend agreement between the Cold War rivals aimed at dismantling Syria’s chemical arsenal by mid-2014, differences remain between the two sides on a U.N. resolution to put it into effect.
Xi said China appreciated the king’s efforts and commitment “to regional peace, stability and development.”
“I’m ready to have an in-depth exchange of views with you on our bilateral relations, as well as other regional and international issues of mutual interest,” he added.
Jordan, an ally of the United States, has backed a political solution to the Syrian crisis and opposes military intervention, vowing its territory will not be used as a launchpad for strikes on Syria.
Russia and China have vetoed three western U.N. resolutions which sought to increase pressure on Assad.
The talks led to four agreements being signed, including one on defense industry cooperation between China's State Administration of Science, Technology and Industry for National Defense and the Jordanian armed forces.
(With AFP)
