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'Iran may give up nukes if Israeli-PA conflict resolved'
02.08.2010.14:52
 Jordan's King Abdullah said on Sunday that solving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict could lead to Iran giving up its nuclear weapons program.
"If we solve the Israeli-Palestinian problem, why would Iran want to spend so much money on a nuclear program? It makes no sense," Abdullah said in a CNN interview with correspondent Fareed Zakaria aired on Sunday.
During the interview, Abdullah said negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians were in "desperate need" of the undivided attention of the United States.
While recognizing the numerous demands the Obama government is facing, Abdullah was still critical about the U.S. role in negotiations in the region.
"I think the credibility of the U.S. is under question now," Abdullah said.
Speaking about the general situation in the Middle East, Abdullah said "The core issue is the Israeli-Palestinian problem. All the conflicts in our part of the world lead to Jerusalem."
"If we solve this problem, we begin to relieve all the other pressure points inside of the Middle East," Abdullah said.
Abdullah rejected the notion that Jordan could be turned into a Palestinian state, asking "What sense would that make?"
"Jordan absolutely does not want anything to do with anything to do with the West Bank. [The Palestinians] want their own state," Abdullah said, "We will not have any role in the West Bank."
Meanwhile last week, Abdullah met with President Shimon Peres in Davos, Switzerland where the two leaders discussed restarting the peace process between Israel and the Palestinians.
Abdullah expressed concern to Peres over the standstill in the peace process, saying that it could affect the entire region.
"There could be regional ramifications," Abdullah told Peres, adding that he hopes the negotiations with the Palestinian Authority will restart soon based on a mutual agreement for a two-state solution.
"There is a consensus amongst the Israeli people regarding a two-state solution," Peres told Abdullah. "Israel is willing to return to the negotiations table right away, and we must make the great efforts to restart the peace process."
haaretz
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