STORY: Jordan, Portugal, Slovenia call for delivery of sufficient aid to Gaza
SHOOTING TIME: Nov. 25, 2023
DATELINE: Nov. 26, 2023
LENGTH: 00:02:44
LOCATION: Amman
CATEGORY: POLITICS

SHOTLIST:
1. various of the meeting
2. various of the press conference
2. SOUNDBITE 1 (English): AYMAN SAFADI, Jordanian Foreign Minister
3. SOUNDBITE 2 (English): TANJA FAJON, Slovenian Foreign Minister
4. SOUNDBITE 3 (English): JOAO CRAVINHO, Portuguese Foreign Minister
5. various of the press conference

STORYLINE:

Foreign ministers from Jordan, Portugal, and Slovenia on Saturday jointly called for the delivery of sufficient and urgent humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip, the Jordanian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

The remarks were made during a trilateral meeting held in the Jordanian capital Amman to discuss measures to stop the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict in the Palestinian coastal enclave. The meeting was attended by Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi, Portuguese Foreign Minister Joao Cravinho, and Slovenian Foreign Minister Tanja Fajon.

The ministers called for efforts to put an end to the humanitarian catastrophe and the suffering of Gazans, ensure the protection of civilians, and uphold humanitarian and international laws.

Safadi said the four-day humanitarian cease-fire between Israel and Hamas, which took effect on Friday, was "a step in the right direction" and must immediately lead to the cessation of conflict, the delivery of aid to all sectors, including those in the northern Gaza Strip, according to the statement.

SOUNDBITE 1 (English): AYMAN SAFADI, Jordanian Foreign Minister
"Israel should not be able to determine the fate of this region. Israel should not be allowed to continue to drag us into the abyss of war. It is time the international community acted in accordance with its obligations under international law. It's time the international community acted in the interest of peace for all Palestinians and Israelis. This war is not bringing peace to the Palestinians, it's not bringing peace to the Israelis, our position in Jordan has always been a principal position on the urgency of bringing a just lasting peace on the basis of the two-state solution that will ensure the security of both Palestinians and Israelis and all of us in the region. This war will not bring security to Israelis. Israel will never have security unless Palestinians have security too."

The Slovenian minister underlined Jordan's important and strategic role in bringing about security, stability, and peace in the region, saying that her country shares the concerns of Jordan and the rest of the world about the developments in the West Bank.

While calling for an immediate cease-fire in Gaza and the entry of the largest possible amount of humanitarian and relief aid into the enclave, Fajon also reaffirmed her support for a two-state solution as a way to resolve the conflict.

SOUNDBITE 2 (English): TANJA FAJON, Slovenian Foreign Minister
"People in Gaza shall be allowed to peacefully and with dignity and in a safe way living in Gaza. So no forced displacement, refusal of displacement of people of Gaza. This is definitely some point we can all agree. We see more than one and half million of people today that are in a way moving around from north to the south, and we have to for that reason, it's very important that we have this truce now and that we have ceasefire, humanitarian assistance, and also we urge to have more border crossings that are opened to allow the humanitarian assistance to reach people in need."

The Portuguese official thanked Jordan for its role in the United Nations to stop the Israel-Hamas conflict.

While rejecting the displacement of Gazans, Cravinho emphasized the need to extend the truce, stressing that diplomatic and political solutions are the only ways to resolve the conflict in the region.

SOUNDBITE 3 (English): JOAO CRAVINHO, Portuguese Foreign Minister
"For us to be able to address the political emergency, we need that current humanitarian temporary ceasefire should be extended, should be extended into a permanent ceasefire in order to allow for political dimensions and the diplomatic dimensions to be properly addressed."

The three ministers are scheduled to meet on Monday in Barcelona during the eighth Regional Forum for Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the Union for the Mediterranean, which will be co-chaired by Jordan and the European Union. The forum is expected to focus on ways to stop the Israel-Hamas conflict and discuss its serious consequences.

Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Amman.
(XHTV)