His Majesty King Abdullah held a summit meeting on Wednesday with US President Donald Trump at the White House that focused on regional crises, peace efforts, and combating extremism and terrorism.

Upon their arrival, Their Majesties King Abdullah and Queen Rania were greeted with an honour cordon by the US president and First Lady Melania Trump.

During the talks, which covered the strategic partnership between the two countries and the Kingdom’s key role in the region, the King thanked the US for its support for Jordan in various sectors, chief among which are the economic, military, and development spheres.

The talks, attended by senior officials on both sides, covered efforts to push the peace process forward by launching serious and effective Palestinian-Israeli negotiations based on the two-state solution, arriving at the establishment of an independent Palestinian state that lives side-by-side with Israel in peace and security.

His Majesty stressed the need to maintain the legal and historical status quo in Jerusalem, warning that changing it will have negative consequences on regional security and stability.

Discussions also addressed the impact of the Syrian refugee crisis on Jordan, its economy and limited resources, which calls for the international community’s continued support for host countries, especially the Kingdom.

Royal Hashemite Court Chief Fayez Tarawneh, Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi, Director of the Office of His Majesty Jafar Hassan, and Jordan’s Ambassador to the US Dina Kawar attended the talks

US Vice President Mike Pence, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross, White House Chief of Staff Reince Priebus, National Security Adviser Herbert McMaster and a number of senior officials also attended the meeting from the US side.

The US president hosted a lunch banquet following a press conference in honour of the King and the accompanying delegation.

King Abdullah thanked the president for the warm welcome, highlighting the close relations between the two countries during a press conference held in the Rose Garden, which followed the talks.

“Thank you.  Mr. President, thank you for such a kind and warm welcome to the White House.  I fondly remember the meetings we’ve had many years ago and, more recently, several months ago.  You've always been a generous host and have always looked after us.  We are very delighted with the way the discussions have gone so far, and we're delighted to be here in such a wonderful setting on such a beautiful day, which I think is a tremendous mark of how we are going to move into the future,” His Majesty said.

“We've had a very good round of talks today, and I'm looking forward to continuing these discussions later on in our meetings after the press conference.  What I do want to say is how much we deeply appreciate the close relations we have with the United States, with you, Mr. President, and with the American people,” the King added.

“This is a strategic partnership that we keep very close to our hearts, and it is a partnership on so many levels that we will continue, I think, with the frank discussions that we had today to improve on as we face the challenges of the future.”

His Majesty added: “And I am very delighted for your vision, your holistic approach to all the challenges in our region, and to the dedication of your team in being able to translate your policies into action successfully, hopefully, as we move forward.”

The challenges faced today, the King continued, are numerous and “are not exclusive to my region… They are global, and particularly the threats to global security.

“Terrorism has no borders, no nationality, no religion, and, therefore, joint action with a holistic approach, as I had just mentioned, Mr. President, is crucial.  I am very delighted that you have the vision to be able to move in that direction, and I think that the world will be in a very good place as we move with all these challenges ahead.

“No doubt, with all the challenges that we face in the world, the role of the U.S. is key to all the issues that we have around the world, but it's not just the fact that we should expect the United States to do all the heavy lifting.  The heavy lifting has to be done by all of us in the international community to support the United States in being able to translate that vision into the right direction. So there's a lot of responsibility for all of us in the international community to support the President, the administration, and the American people to bring brighter days to all of us.

His Majesty noted the Trump administration’s “determination to support Arab and Muslim states in their fight against terrorism”, describing it as encouraging. 

“But it is not only the fight of terrorism inside of our societies, but we, as Arab-Muslim states standing behind the international community in being able to defeat this international scourge.”

Turning to Syria, the King reaffirmed the need for a political solution that ends the conflict in the country and preserves its unity and territorial integrity.

“As the president mentioned, the issue we discussed was the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, which is essentially the core conflict in our region. And the president’s early engagement as beginning in bringing the Palestinians and Israelis together has been a very encouraging sign for all of us. 

“And I think, sir, it was that initiative that allowed us at the Arab Summit last week to extend through the Arab Peace Initiative the message of peace to Israel, which we all hopefully will work together to make that come about,” His Majesty said.

The Arab Peace Initiative, the King noted, offers “a historic reconciliation between Israel and the Palestinians, as well as all member states of the Arab League.”

His Majesty described it as “the most comprehensive framework for lasting peace”, which ensures statehood for the Palestinians, and security, acceptance and normal ties for Israel with all Arab countries “and hopefully all Islamic countries.”

“So we appreciate your commitment in all these issues where others have failed. You will find a strong ally in Jordan in supporting you in all your policies,” the King added.

Turning to the chemical attack in Syria, His Majesty said: “As you and I both agree, this is another testament to the failure of the international diplomacy to find the solutions to this crisis.  But I believe under your leadership we will be able to unravel this very complicated situation.”

The Syrian crisis, which has been ongoing for seven years, “has descended into proxy wars from different parties with dubious agendas,” the King said.

“But at the end of the day, as you pointed out, Mr. President, it is the civilians — women and children — that are paying the heaviest price. This is happening on our watch, on our conscience, as well as the global community.

“And I know the passion and the emotion that the President has expressed and how this should not be tolerated whatsoever.  And this threshold of inhumanity and savagery that are being crossed every day is something that I know the President will not allow to happen, wherever it may be.  And I fully support and endorse the President in this issue.”

His Majesty thanked Trump for his “looking not just at the Syrian challenges but that of Iraq, Israel, Palestine, Libya, and everything that is in our region. So I think your message to all of us is a message of hope, and that's what I take away from this conference.”

The King added: “I thank you for all that you have done so far and all that you will do, sir.”

For his part, Trump welcomed His Majesty, stressing his commitment to maintaining the strong bilateral ties and strengthening the continuing US support for Jordan.

“Your Majesty, thank you for being with us today. Very much appreciate it. This is our second meeting since my inauguration, but our first at the White House. A very special place, I can tell you that. I've gotten to know it well. Long hours. Very special,” the US president said.

Addressing the chemical attack in Syria, he said: “Yesterday, a chemical attack — a chemical attack that was so horrific, in Syria, against innocent people, including women, small children, and even beautiful little babies. Their deaths was an affront to humanity. These heinous actions by the Assad regime cannot be tolerated. The United States stands with our allies across the globe to condemn this horrific attack and all other horrific attacks, for that matter.”

Turning to ties with Jordan, Trump said Jordanians are known “for their legendary hospitality”, and are “for their fighting ability.”

“And you are a great warrior, and we appreciate it,” the US president added.

“The historical ties and close friendship between our two countries dates back three-quarters of a century. In that time, the Middle East has faced many periods of crisis and unrest, perhaps never like it is today, however. Through them all, America has looked to Jordan as a valued partner, an advocate for the values of civilisation, and a source of stability and hope,” he said.

“I am deeply committed to preserving our strong relationship — which I will — and to strengthening America’s longstanding support for Jordan. And you do have tremendous support within our country, I can tell you that,” Trump added.

“The Middle East — and the entire world — is faced with one of its gravest threats in many, many years. Since the earliest days of the campaign against ISIS, Jordan has been a staunch ally and partner, and we thank you for that. Jordanian servicemembers have made tremendous sacrifices in this battle against the enemies of civilisation, and I want to thank all of them for their, really, just incredible courage.  So many have been lost, and we pay homage. So many.

“In King Abdullah, America is blessed with a thoughtful and determined partner. He is a man who has spent years commanding his country’s special forces. He really knows what being a soldier is, that I can tell you. And he knows how to fight,” Trump noted.

“The King has been a leader in calling for a plan to defeat ISIS once and for all. And I'm with you on that.  We’re both leaders on that, believe me,” he said.

“That's what we speak about today, and that is what we are going to do. And it will be a shorter fight than a lot of people are thinking about, believe me. We've made tremendous strides as we discussed,” Trump added.

“As you know, we had a very, very fine delegation come over from Egypt and also from Iraq, and they said more has been done in the last six weeks than has been done in years with the previous administration. And believe me, we're going to keep it that way,” he noted.

“We will destroy ISIS and we will protect civilisation. We have no choice — we will protect civilisation.

“King Abdullah and I also discussed measures to combat the evil ideology that inspires ISIS and plagues our planet,” the president continued.

He also commended Jordan’s role in hosting refugees, saying: “We have just announced that the United States will contribute additional funds to Jordan for humanitarian assistance. This aid will help countries like Jordan host refugees until it is safe for them to return home. The refugees want to return home. I know that from so many other instances. They want to return back to their home. And that's a goal of any responsible refugee policy.”

Addressing peace efforts in the Middle East, Trump said he is “working very hard on trying to finally create peace between the Palestinians and Israel.”

“I think we'll be successful. I hope to be successful, I can tell you that,” he stressed.

“The King has been a really tireless advocate for a solution, and he's going to help me with that and help me at the highest level. And we will be consulting with him closely in the days ahead,” Trump added.

Thanking the King again for his partnership, the President said: “Working together, the United States and Jordan can help bring peace and stability to the Middle East and, in fact, the entire world. And we will do that.”

In response to a question on hosting refugees, His Majesty said: “Most, if not all, Syrian refugees actually want to go back to Syria.  And what we're working with the United States and the international community is to be able to stabilise the refugees in our country, give them the tools so that, as we're working with the solutions in Syria, we have the ability to be able to send them back as a positive influence into their economies.”

The King continued: “And again, the President and the Europeans are being very forward-leaning in being able look after our host community — tremendous burden on our country, but again, tremendous appreciation to the United States and the Western countries for being able to help us deliver that.”

Answering a question on the outcome of the Arab Summit and how it can help the US push negotiations forward, His Majesty said: “our peace initiative came out with a resounding resolution to offer peace to the Israelis, to make them feel that they’re accepted into the neighbourhood, and to be able to support the president as he brings both parties together.”

The King continued: “And again, I have to remind people that very early on there was an early engagement by the President and his team to the Israelis and the Palestinians to be able to see what he can do to bring them together.  It is the core conflict for a lot of us in the region.  The President knows this.  He has his instincts in the right place.  And working with his team, our job, as I said, is to do the heavy lifting.  The Arabs are prepared to do whatever they can to bring Israelis and Palestinians together.”

Commenting on his optimism that Trump may succeed where all else have failed on the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, His Majesty said: “What I saw was an early engagement by the President and his team, with all of us in the region, about the challenges between the Israelis and Palestinians.  I had the honour of seeing the president and his team again in January where this was discussed. The President understands the nuances and the challenges. I think he has the courage and the dedication to be able to do this.”

“Like I said before, all of us have a responsibility to help the President push us over the finish line,” the King added, noting that the US administration’s team had been in the region and spoken to all partners.

“It is our job to facilitate the atmospherics between Israelis and Palestinians to move together, and give the support to the President to be able to smooth the edges over between Israelis and Palestinians to achieve this.  And the President understands that if we don’t solve this problem, how are we going to win the global fight against terrorism, which is his number-one priority?  So this is a core issue that he understands, and I think he has the commitment and he has my full support for this, as he does from many, many countries in our region,” His Majesty said.

Responding to a question on the future of fighting terrorism post-Raqqa, the King said: “We are seeing, very recently, tremendous gains on the ground in Raqqa and Mosul. Again, I think, as the President alluded to, it’s very difficult to put timelines on this issue because the battle space is always very fluid. But I think that the war is being won on the ground.”

However, His Majesty warned that “terrorists are on the move.  They’ll be on the move inside of Iraq and inside of Syria, so that we have to make sure that we adapt our plans accordingly.  And they move beyond borders, beyond our region and elsewhere.”

The King said he discussed the holistic approach required to deal with this issue in his talks with the President.

“Terrorists have no respect for borders and religions and people. So it’s the seriousness of how we do this holistic approach that I’ve mentioned several times. And what I am really delighted is that the understanding by the president and the administration in how to deal with this globally,” His Majesty added.

“I think you're seeing a move in the right direction because the policy now is being charted out and my discussions with the defence secretary and the foreign secretary allows us to be then able to decide how we adapt ourselves in the region to be able to come in line with international diplomacy.”

Responding to a question on the chemical attack, Trump said: “I think the Obama administration had a great opportunity to solve this crisis a long time ago when he said ‘the red line in the sand.’ And when he didn't cross that line after making the threat, I think that set us back a long ways, not only in Syria but in many of the parts of the world because it was a blank threat. I think it was something that was not one of our better days as a country. So, I do feel that.”

He continued: “I now have responsibility. And I will have that responsibility and carry it very proudly, I will tell you that. It is now my responsibility. It was a great opportunity missed. As you know, I'll be meeting with the president of China very soon in Florida. And that's another responsibility we have, and that's called the country of North Korea. We have a big problem. We have somebody that is not doing the right thing. And that's going to be my responsibility. But I'll tell you, that responsibility could have made — been made a lot easier if it was handled years ago.”

The president stressed that the chemical attack “crossed a lot of lines for me. When you kill innocent children — innocent babies — babies — little babies with a chemical gas that is so lethal, people were shocked to hear what gas it was, that crosses many, many lines. Beyond a red line, many, many lines,” he said

“I like to think of myself as a very flexible person. I don't have to have one specific way, and if the world changes, I go the same way. I don't change. Well, I do change. And I am flexible. And I am proud of that flexibility. And I will tell you that attack on children yesterday had a big impact on me, big impact. That was a horrible, horrible thing,” Trump stressed.

“It's very, very possible, and I will tell you it's already happened that my attitude toward Syria and Assad has changed very much. And if you look back over the last few weeks, there were other attacks using gas. You're now talking about a whole different level,” he added.

“So, as you know, I would love to have never been in the Middle East. I would love to have never seen that whole big situation start. But once it started, we got out the wrong way and ISIS formed in the vacuum and lots of bad things happened. I will tell you what happened yesterday is unacceptable to me,” the president said.

“One of the things I think you've noticed about me is militarily, I don't like to say where I'm going and what I'm doing. And I watched past administrations say ‘we will attack’ at such-and- such a day; at such-and-such an hour. And you, being a warrior, you would say: ‘Why are they saying that?’” Trump continued.

“I watched Mosul, where the past administration was saying, ‘We will be attacking in four months.’ And I said: Why are they doing that? Then a month goes by, and they say, ‘We will be attacking in three months,’ and then, ‘Two months,’ and then, ‘We will be attacking next week.’ And I'm saying, ‘Why are they doing that?’ And as you know, Mosul turned out to be much harder fight than anyone thought. And a lot of people have been lost in that fight. I'm not saying I'm doing anything one way or the other,” he noted.

“I have to just say that the world is a mess. I inherited a mess, whether it's the Middle East, whether it's North Korea, whether it's so many other things, whether it's in our country, horrible trade deals. I inherited a mess. We're going to fix it. We are going to fix it,” Trump added.

Commenting on the Iran deal, Trump said it is “one of the worst deals I've ever witnessed. It should never have been made. It was totally one-sided against the United States, and frankly, against much of the Middle East.”

The president added that he will “do whatever I have to do. They have a deal. It was, some people say, not done properly, even in the form of its finalisation. There was no vote from Congress. There was no real ratification. But I will do what I have to do with respect to the Iran deal.”

Addressing the war on terrorism, he noted: “The United States will work with whoever it's appropriate to work with, to totally eradicate ISIS and other terrorists. And by the way, ISIS is one group, but others have formed. Frankly, they're all over the place. We will do what we have to do to eradicate terrorism.”

Responding to a question on Iranian militias in Syria, Trump said they will be sent a message. “You will see what the message will be.”