MOSCOW. July 11 (Interfax) - Amman backs Moscow's initiative to host an international conference on the Middle East, Jordanian Foreign Minister Salah Eddin Bashir told a news conference after a meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in Moscow on Friday.
"We strongly support the idea," Bashir said.
Russian-Jordanian talks in particular focused on regional problems, primarily the Middle East, given the recent truce between Fatah and Hamas, Lavrov said.
The parties agreed that the blockade of the Gaza Strip should be lifted and the situation there improved, as well as unity on the Palestinians, which will create the preconditions for a more solid Arab-Israeli settlement.
Bashir said he was certain that a final decision on the Palestinian-Israeli settlement should be attained by the end of the year.
The Jordanian foreign minister also mentioned that Iraq was discussed. "One should make every effort to normalize relations between Iraq and its fraternal countries," the minister said.
Bashir also favored encouraging Russian tourists to visit Jordan and businessmen to more actively work in the country.
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Story Source: Daily News Bulletin; Moscow - English
