Jordan's King Assures Hamas On Palestinian State

Hamas boss Khaled Meshaal arrived on January 29 for the first visit to Jordan by a Hamas leader in 12 years, since he and four other members of the radical Palestinian group were expelled from Jordan in 1999.

Jordan’s King Abdullah II has told visiting Hamas politburo chief Khaled Meshaal that Jordan will continue to support the creation of an independent Palestinian state on the 1967 lines with East Jerusalem as its capital.

Meshaal arrived on January 29 for the first visit to Jordan by a Hamas leader in 12 years, since he and four other members of the radical Palestinian group were expelled from Jordan in 1999, reportedly under U.S. and Israeli pressure.

He was accompanied during the meeting with King Abdullah by Qatari Crown Prince Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, as Doha is mediating a rapprochement between Hamas and Jordan.

compiled from agency reports