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Jordan, Arab officials discuss steps to stop escalation in Jerusalem

Jordan's Minister of Foreign and Expatriate Affairs Ayman Safadi
Jordan's Minister of Foreign and Expatriate Affairs Ayman Safadi
AMMAN, July 22 (KUNA) -- Jordan's Minister of Foreign and Expatriate Affairs Ayman Safadi, his Arab counterparts and Arab League Secretary General on Saturday discussed the efforts to stop escalation in Jerusalem.
The minister and Kuwait's Acting Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Sabah Al-Khaled Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah tackled, over the telephone, situations in Jerusalem, Jordan's Foreign Ministry said in statement.
Al-Safadi also tackled, over the telephone, the same topic with foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia Adel Al-Jubeir, Algeria Abdelkader Messahel, Tunisia Khemaies Jhinaoui and Lebanon Jubran Baseel, it added.
The conversations covered the ways to deal with the crisis, including Jordan's call for an emergency Arab foreign ministers meeting.
Safadi briefed his Arab counterparts on contacts and diplomacy led by King Abdullah II of Jordan to restore calm, stop escalation and protect the holy sites.
In a phone call, Safadi and his Egyptian counterpart Sameh Shoukry stressed the need to end the tension in Jerusalem by fully and immediately reopening the Al-Aqsa Mosque to worshipers.
They called on Israel to respect the legal and historical status in the holy places and restore calm in the holy city, the statement pointed out.
Also Safadi and Secretary of the Executive Committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) Saeb Erekat focused on steps to tackle the crisis, mainly the call for an emergency meeting of Arab foreign ministers.
Safadi and Erekat affirmed the need to remove the electronic gates installed by Israel and cancel all the actions taken in an attempt to impose new facts on the ground.
The minister continues coordination with Arab League chief Ahmed Abul-Gheit to convene a foreign ministers meeting.
In another phone call with his Spanish counterpart Alfonso Dastis, Safadi called for international efforts to restore calm through removing all obstacles placed by Israel and ensure right of worshippers to freely practice their religious rituals and respect the historical status quo at Al-Aqsa Mosque.
Al-Safadi stressed the need to take an action to end the crisis, warning against the consequences of tampering with Jerusalem and the holy shrines.
In an unprecedented step, Israel shut down Al-Aqsa Mosque a week ago in front of Muslim worshipers during Friday prayers and reopened it on Sunday after installing electronic gates on its entrances.
The move came after three Palestinians and two Israelis had been killed in clashes on July 14. (end) ab.rg.hm