US Secretary of State John Kerry is due in Amman on Thursday, where he is scheduled to meet with senior Jordanian officials.
According to a US Department of State statement, Kerry will during his visit to Amman discuss a “wide range of bilateral and regional issues as part of our continued close coordination on key issues”.
The US top diplomat will also meet with Foreign Minister Nasser Judeh, according to government sources, who said that both sides will discuss Palestinian-Israeli peace talks and the Syrian crisis.
Kerry’s visit to Jordan is part of a regional tour that he started on Sunday and will conclude on November 13. His stops include Riyadh, occupied Jerusalem, Bethlehem, Abu Dhabi, Algiers and Rabat. He is also scheduled to visit Warsaw.
Last Friday, His Majesty King Abdullah received a telephone call from Kerry during which they discussed the latest regional developments, especially the Middle East peace process.
The King and Kerry discussed the latest developments pertaining to the Syrian crisis and reviewed ways to develop bilateral relations.
Jordan is one of the countries that is being affected by the current crisis in neighbouring Syria and is home for more than 600,000 Syrian refugees.
Planning Minister Ibrahim Saif said in a previous statement that the government has estimated the cost of hosting over 600,000 refugees at around $1.7 billion, including operational and capital investments.
Meanwhile, the UN estimated the total requirements for Jordan to mitigate the impact of the Syrian crisis at $2.1 billion for the current year ($1.3 billion for humanitarian areas, $741 million for development) and $3.2 billion ($1.95 billion for humanitarian requirements, $1.26 billion for development) for the year 2014. The Kingdom is also a stakeholder in the Mideast peace process as almost all final status issues have a direct impact on the country’s future, including refugees, water, borders and the fate of Jerusalem.
By Khetam Malkawi
