Jordan position on Bahrain Economic Conference unclear

The Jordanian government’s position is still unclear regarding in the so-called “Economic Conference” hosted by the Bahraini capital Manama at the invitation of the United States of America. The Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates Ayman Safadi and the Minister of State for Media, Jumana Ghunaimat refuse to make any statements on the country’s official position on the conference.

Despite repeated communication attempts by the Quds Press reporter, he was unable to obtain an official response from the government.

Amid continuing official reluctance to declare any position on the conference, internal voices have escalated, calling on the government to declare a clear rejection of participation in the conference, especially after several Jordanian writers promoted the idea of ​​Jordan’s participation.

According to the Jordanian writer Fahd Al-Khaitan, the internal pressure on the Jordanian regime to refuse the participation in the conference, come along with external pressures on the Kingdom for an early declaration of the participation.

“Jordan’s official position is tending not to respond to pressures from both sides, and to be cautious before taking a final position,” Al-Khaitan told Quds Press.

Al-Khaitan pointed out that “this tactical position does not in any way mean any intention to retreat from Jordanian constants and royal “NOs”. It is instead a continuation of work with a cautious approach that minimises losses, keeps Jordan away from the useless, costly confrontation and holds the range of available options for political manoeuvring.”

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For his part, Jordanian journalist Ayman Al-Omari believes that “Jordan’s participation in this conference that paves the way for the Deal of the Century means implicitly that Jordan is ready to think about and agree on the Deal’s terms, which were previously announced to be rejected in advance,” as he put it.

Al-Omari added to Quds Press that the terms of the Deal of the Century and the features of the conference contradict the three “NOs” of the king, on which he stressed during his visit to Zarqa Governorate, which is no for an alternative homeland, no for the refugees’ resettlement, and no for abandoning Jerusalem.

Al-Omari believes that the visit of US President’s adviser, Jared Kushner, on Wednesday seems to be an attempt to convince decision-makers of the need and importance of the participation in the Bahrain Conference, regardless of the level of representation.

A White House official said that Kushner has been leading a delegation on tour including several stations in the region to rally support for the US settlement plan known in the media as the “Deal of the Century.”

READ: Resurrecting the PLO is Palestine’s Best Response to the ‘Deal of the Century’

On Tuesday, the Islamic Movement carried out a protest around the embassy in Amman, rejecting Kushner’s visit and the participation in the Bahrain Conference.

In a speech during the protest, the Muslim Brotherhood’s General Observer, Abdul Hamid Al-Thunibat, called on the Jordanian government to be transparent in its position on the participation in the Bahrain conference.

The United States called on May 20 to hold an international conference in Bahrain next month under the theme of “Encouraging investment in the Palestinian territories”, in what appeared to be the first features of the Deal of the Century, which Washington is preparing to announce immediately after the month of Ramadan.