Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates Ayman Safadi discussed on Monday with the US Special Representative for Syria Engagement, James Jeffrey, "developments of war on terror" and the latest developments in the Syrian file, according to a statement issued by the Jordanian Foreign Ministry.
Safadi discussed with Jeffrey and the accompanying delegation, which included Deputy Assistant Secretary and Special Envoy for Syria Joel Rayburn, developments in the Syrian crisis and efforts to find a political solution to the conflict, the statement said.
He stressed the need to intensify efforts to reach a political solution to the Syrian crisis that preserves the unity of Syria and accepted by the people in line with resolution 2254 and via the Geneva negotiations process.
They tackled the issue of Syrian refugees as Safadi briefed the US delegation on the “huge burdens Jordan had to bear as a host of 1.3 million Syrians,” urging the international community to shoulder its responsibility towards the refugees, according to AFP.
He stressed that Jordan encourages voluntary return of Syrian refugees to their country.
On the other hand, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu received on Sunday in Tel Aviv Jeffrey to discuss the situation in the Middle East, in particular, the Syrian and Iranian issues, the prime minister's office said.
Ahead of Jeffrey’s visit to the region, the State Department said he would discuss “maintaining Israel's security while countering Iran's destabilizing activity throughout the region.”
It said that Jeffrey and Rayburn will also travel on to Jordan and Turkey, where they will reiterate the US position against a military offensive in Idlib.
The two “will also address Russia's specious allegations of international plans to stage a chemical weapons attack in Syria” in their meetings across the region, according to the State Department.
