AMMAN, Jordan - Foreign Affairs Minister Peter MacKay said on Saturday that enduring peace in the Middle East requires joint efforts by all sides involved, including the international community.
MacKay, who is on a tour of the region, met with his Jordanian counterpart Abdul-Ilah al-Khatib, and also Prime Minister Marouf al-Bakhit.
MacKay said Canada supports "any bilateral or international parties that would participate in solving the Mideast problem,'' and added that Jordan, as one of only two Arab peace partners of Israel, had an "effective role'' to play in solving the long simmering conflict between Israel and the Palestinians.
Al-Bakhit urged a "comprehensive solution to the Palestinian problem ... (that would) lead to the establishment of a viable Palestinian state,'' according to the official Petra news agency.
On Friday, MacKay met Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas here.
During the meeting, Abbas underscored his rejection of a transitional Palestinian state with temporary borders, proposals floated by some Israeli officials as a means of giving the peace process a push.
Abbas said that would hamper a final deal and leave only a truncated Palestinian state.
After Jordan, MacKay left for meetings with officials in Israel and the West Bank. He also plans to visit Yad Vashem, the Holocaust memorial in Jerusalem.
"Our message in the region is clear: we support efforts that will lead to a peaceful and comprehensive resolution to the Arab-Israeli conflict, including the creation of a Palestinian state,'' MacKay is quoted as saying in a news release from the Foreign Affairs department in Ottawa.
