Jordan’s King Abdallah to visit US from Monday

Jordan's King Abdallah addressing the opening of the third ordinary session of the 17th Parliament in Amman, in this file photo. (Reuters)

WASHINGTON: Jordan’s King Abdallah will begin a visit to the US on Monday, the Jordanian Embassy said on Thursday, the first Arab leader to hold talks with the new administration of President Donald Trump.
“HM King Abdallah II will start a working visit to US on Monday during which he will meet w/new administration & Congress,” the Jordanian Embassy in Washington said on Twitter. It did not say whether a meeting between Abdallah and Trump was scheduled.
Abdallah has just finished a visit to Russia where President Vladimir Putin thanked Jordan for supporting the Syrian peace process. Jordan is part of a US-led military campaign against Daesh militants in Syria.
Less than a week into his presidency, Trump told ABC News on Wednesday that he would “absolutely do safe zones in Syria” for refugees fleeing violence and that Europe had made a mistake by admitting millions of refugees from Syria.
The creation of safe zones would ratchet up US military involvement in Syria and mark a major departure from former President Barack Obama’s more cautious approach. Increased US or allied air power would be required if Trump chose to enforce “no fly” restrictions, and ground forces might also be needed to protect civilians in those areas.
Abdallah’s visit comes as Trump is preparing to sign an executive order that would include a temporary ban on all refugees, and a suspension of visas for citizens of Syria, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Yemen and Iran.
Jordan has been overwhelmed by the influx of refugees since the Syrian conflict began. The vast majority of refugees referred by the UN refugee agency to the US come from Jordan, Turkey, Lebanon, Egypt and Iraq.
Abdallah, who has a role as custodian of the Muslim sacred sites in Jerusalem, has also been key to efforts by the US to broker a peace deal between the Israelis and Palestinians. Since Israel’s creation in 1948, Jordan has absorbed waves of Palestinian refugees, as well as fugitives from the 1975-90 civil war in Lebanon and from Iraq.
While campaigning for the presidency, Trump pledged to move the US Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, a statement that drew an outcry from Palestinians and others who said it would kill any prospect for peace.