King, Erdogan to meet over Mideast

AMMAN (JT) - His Majesty King Abdullah will discuss with Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan today regional and international efforts aimed at ending the Israeli aggression on Gaza, a Royal Court statement said.

Erdogan will arrive in the Kingdom as part of a tour that also includes Syria, Saudi Arabia and Egypt in a bid to ease regional tensions after Israel's offensive on Gaza, officials said on Monday, quoted by Agence France-Presse.

Turkey’s Deputy Prime Minister Cemil Cicek announced the tour without giving details about Erdogan's itinerary.

"He will discuss what can be done to secure peace and stability in the region," Cicek told reporters after a weekly Cabinet meeting.

"Turkey is ready to do what it can to stop the bloodshed," he said.

On Tuesday, His Majesty King Abdullah discussed with US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, in a telephone conversation, efforts to end the ongoing Israeli attacks on Gaza Strip and alleviate the suffering of the Palestinian people, the Royal Court said.

His Majesty stressed the need to take immediate and effective steps to end the onslaught and open the crossings in order to allow entry of humanitarian and medical assistance to the enclave.

The King on Monday telephoned US President George W. Bush and discussed with him the developments in Gaza and efforts to immediately stop the Israeli military offensive.

In the meantime, the King ordered the concerned authorities to take every possible step to support and provide the Palestinian citizens in the besieged enclave with humanitarian and medical aid as well as to offer treatment for the wounded in Jordanian hospitals.

In its weekly meeting, the Cabinet discussed developments in Gaza and Jordan’s efforts to bring an end to the Israeli offensive.

Prime Minister Nader Dahabi briefed the council on the intensive contacts the King is making with key regional and international players to stop the strikes and ways to implement his directives to help Palestinians at the humanitarian level.

Minister of State for Media Affairs and Communications Nasser Judeh told reporters following the meeting that the Cabinet also discussed contacts the government has launched with Arab and international parties regarding the situation in Gaza. He pointed to the Arab foreign ministers’ meeting scheduled today at the Arab League’s headquarters in Cairo, which will be held at the request of Jordan.

Judeh said the Cabinet stressed citizens’ right to express their feelings towards Israel’s aggression and show solidarity with their brothers in Gaza, asserting that the official stand is consistent with that of the grassroots level.

Her Majesty Queen Rania on Tuesday visited the King Hussein Medical Centre and donated blood in support of Palestinians in Gaza as part of a nationwide blood drive, according to a Royal Court statement released yesterday.

Under the directives of His Majesty King Abdullah, who donated blood on Monday, the national blood drive to support Palestinians in the Gaza Strip continued for the fourth day as citizens across the Kingdom were eager to contribute to the campaign.

According to the Health Ministry’s National Blood Bank, their personnel have collected more than 1,600 units on Sunday and Monday alone with 2,000 blood units delivered to Gaza on Monday.

Also on Tuesday, Queen Rania published an opinion piece on the situation in Gaza calling on citizens to do their utmost to help alleviate some of the pain and suffering of people in Gaza.

The Queen urged citizens to “express our views and raise our voices, extend our hands and arms to give assistance to the children, the mothers, the young and the old, to people whose will inspires us all, to people who are struggling for their right to live”.