On his second day of a two-day official visit to Jordan, Sheikh Nasser discussed with Abdallah latest developments in the region particularly ongoing efforts to spur the Middle East peace process as well as the situations in Lebanon and Iraq.
The two leaders “expressed their backing to the Palestinian Authority in its negotiations (with Israel) that aim at ending the Israeli occupation and the setting up of an independent Palestinian state,” the statement from the royal court said.
On Iraq, the two countries supported the achievement of a “national reconciliation among various components of the Iraqi people through the conduction of a comprehensive political process that safeguards Iraq’s security and stability.”
During their talks with the Kuwaiti premier, Abdallah and Prime Minister Nader Dahabi voiced their desire to boost bilateral cooperation, particularly in the economic sphere.
Dahabi noticed that with about seven billion dollars of investments in Jordan, Kuwait topped the list of foreign investments in the Hashemite Kingdom. He also reported a 64 percent increase in merchandise between the two countries in 2007, to $ 210 million.
Meanwhile, the Jordanian government said yesterday that it would exempt Iraqi nationals wishing to leave the country permanently from accumulated residence fines. Interior Minister Eid Al-Fayez also announced that Iraqi refugees wishing to stay should rectify their residency status within two months and would have their fines slashed in half.
He said that Iraqis who planned to leave Jordan with intention to return to the country or newcomers would have to obtain an entry visa from offices that would soon open inside Iraq. The Jordanian government said that it was introducing an entry visa for Iraqis at the behest of the Iraqi authorities.
