Their Majesties King Abdullah II and Queen Rania Receive Spanish Royal Couple

April 25, 2006

(Royal Hashemite Court, Communication & Information Division - Amman) Their Majesties King Abdullah and Queen Rania Al-Abdullah on Monday received the Spanish royal couple, King Juan Carlos and Queen Sofia, who started a three-day State visit to the country.

King Carlos and Queen Sofia are due to meet with Prime Minister Marouf Bakhit, Senate President Zeid Rifai and House Speaker Abdul Hadi Majali.

King Carlos was also scheduled to address the Spanish-Jordanian Business Forum.

Meanwhile, King Abdullah on Monday told the Spanish El Pais daily that establishing peace in the Middle East will help create a region free of weapons of mass destruction. Peace cannot be achieved, he said, without finding a solution to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.

The King reiterated that the Iranian nuclear issue should be addressed through dialogue.

King Abdullah said he told the EU and the US that the disruption of aid to the Palestinians would aggravate the situation in the Palestinian territories.

His Majesty described the Spanish Monarch as “a voice of moderation whose hand was always extended to Jordan and other Arab countries.”

Spanish King Juan Carlos and Queen Sofia on Monday met with the Spanish community in the country.

During the meeting, the Spanish King commended the ties between the two countries and said Jordan has become a role model to be followed in religious tolerance.

Carlos also referred to the Amman Message, which His Majesty King Abdullah launched in 2004 to clarify the true image of Islam as a faith of tolerance and moderation. Some 1,000 Spanish citizens reside in the country.