AMMAN, Jordan, Sept. 5 (UPI) -- Jordan's King Abdullah II said his country would define its relations with the Palestinians only after an independent Palestinian state is created.
In an interview with the Palestinian daily al-Quds published Monday, Abdullah said, "We cannot discuss the future of Jordanian-Palestinian relations before the creation of the Palestinian state."
He stressed that Jordan was offering full support to the Palestinian authorities and increasing opportunities for joint investments, trade and other forms of economic cooperation.
Abdullah reiterated Jordan's position that it would not resettle Palestinian refugees, stressing, "This is a red line that cannot be crossed."
"Jordan will not be an alternative home for the Palestinians, and we will deploy all possible efforts to ensure the right of the Palestinians especially to a viable and independent state," Abdullah said.
He applauded Israel's unilateral disengagement from the Gaza Strip, saying it should be considered part of the road map that stipulates Israel's withdrawal from all Palestinian territories captured in 1967, including east Jerusalem, which the Palestinians want to be the capital of their future state.
