Jordanian king, Sisi meet in Washington over Middle East peace process

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi met with Jordanian King Abdullah II in Washington on the margins of their meetings with US President Donald Trump to discuss the Middle East peace process, Turkish state-owned Anadolu reported on Tuesday.

“[The two leaders] discussed the special relationship between the two countries, as well as the latest developments of the Middle East and the peace process between the Palestinians and the Israelis,” Anadolu quoted the official Egyptian news agency as reporting.

The meeting came just one day after the meeting between Trump and Al-Sisi. Both leaders discussed several issues, primarily the Palestinian cause, the peace process and the fight against terrorism.

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Al-Sisi arrived in Washington on Saturday for a five-day visit to “discuss ideas” for reviving peace, contacting the Palestinians and the Israelis and reach a just and permanent solution for the Palestinian cause.

Abdullah started his visit to Washington on Tuesday, meeting with Trump and discussing the reinforcement of strategic cooperation and partnership between Jordan and the United States.

In a previous statement, the White House said that Trump had been looking forward to welcoming the Jordanian monarch to discuss a number of issues, including “reinforcing peace between the Israelis and the Palestinians.”

Since April 2014, peace talks between the Israelis and the Palestinians have been stalled due to Israel’s refusal to stop constructing illegal settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories, and also Tel Aviv’s refusal to release Palestinian prisoners.