Jordanian king meets UK foreign secretary

British Foreign Secretary William Hague hosted a luncheon for King Abdullah II, of Jordan, here on Wednesday in the presence of Jordanian Foreign Minister Nasser Judeh and British International Development Secretary Justine Greening and Minister for the Middle East Hugh Robertson. Speaking after the event, the Foreign Secretary said: "I welcome King Abdullah's visit to London and his attendance at the World Islamic Economic Forum. I warmly value the close bilateral relationship between the UK and Jordan and the historic bond between our two countries." "The International Development Secretary and I welcomed Jordan's extraordinary generosity in hosting over half a million refugees from Syria. The UK is now providing 89 million in humanitarian and developmental aid for Jordan, to support refugees and host communities. "Jordan and the UK fully agree on the need to advance a Geneva II peace conference, to support the moderate opposition and to assist Syria's neighbours with the consequences of the conflict," Hague said. "I reaffirmed the UK's support for the stability and security of Jordan. We spoke about the progress of economic and political reform in Jordan, including the need to increase employment prospects for young people in Jordan. "We agreed that the unique experience and innovative approach of the Prince's Trust in working with young people could be potentially very valuable in Jordan. "I therefore confirmed that the FCO was supporting a scoping study to explore that potential, building on the successful visit by HRH The Prince of Wales to Jordan earlier this year and the signature of an MOU between the Prince's Charities and the King Abdullah Fund for Development," he went on. "We also discussed the critical importance of ensuring that the Israeli-Palestinian negotiations lead to agreement on a two-state solution. We agreed that both Israelis and Palestinians will need to demonstrate continued political courage and vision in the coming months, robustly supported by the international community. "We also agreed that, given the particular sensitivities, provocative actions in the holy sites of Jerusalem pose a risk to the peace process and must be avoided," Hague added.