US President Barack Obama expressed appreciation for Jordanian King Abdullah's efforts in encouraging "peace and prosperity" in the Middle East, after the two held talks on Tuesday.
Noting Abdullah's role in decrying the Syrian government's violent crackdown on protesters, Obama said of the Jordanian leader, "I want to thank him for his willingness to stand up. As a consequence, Jordan has been part of an overall Arab League effort to encourage this sort of peaceful transition inside of Syria that is needed."
Obama explained that the US and Jordan have held close consultations concerning the violence in Syria, as well as throughout the dramatic developments that have swept across the region in what has become known as the "Arab Spring," such as the government transitions in Egypt and Libya.
The US president also addressed Israel-Palestinian peace talks, saying that "the Jordanians have taken great leadership on this issue, and we very much appreciate their direction."
Abdullah responded to Obama's commendation of his role in the peace talks, saying, "Although this is still in the very early stages, we have to keep our fingers crossed and hope that we can bring the Israelis and Palestinians out of the impasse that we’re facing. We’re in coordination on a regular basis with the President, as well as with his administration."
Earlier on Tuesday, Abdullah told the The Washington Post he viewed the renewed talks between them in Amman as “little baby steps forward.”
“There are a lot of people who look at these negotiations negatively. My answer to that is: For them to at least try to talk to each other is better than nothing. If you understand the region, you realize how important that is,” he told the newspaper. “I am cautious about saying that I’m cautiously optimistic,” Abdullah said when describing the three rounds of Israeli-Palestinian talks that took place this month in Jordan.
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