Rex Tillerson claims US' Middle East plan is 'fairly well advanced', says Jordan can play key role in ensuring peace

Amman: US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said on Wednesday that work on a new plan for achieving peace in the Middle East peace is “fairly well advanced.” The US official made the remarks in a press conference with Jordanian minister of foreign affairs Ayman Safadi, where he stressed that the US was committed to making peace between the Palestinians and the Israelis. He said the decision taken on Jerusalem was “about the US and our recognition of Jerusalem and where we choose to place our embassy”, reports Xinhua. [caption id=“attachment_4316637” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] File image of US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson. AP[/caption] He added that the decision “does not preclude a two-state solution if that is the solution the parties seek.” The US official also stressed on Jordan’s key role in achieving Mideast peace. The Jordanian minister said Jordan differed with the US on Jerusalem. “We believe that the two-state solution that ensures the creation of an independent Palestinian state at the borders of 1967 with east Jerusalem as its capital is the sole way for peace,” Safadi was quoted as saying. “Our views are different via Jerusalem, but the challenge now is how to move forward and how to make sure a difficult situation does not get worse,” Safadi added. He added that Jordan was looking forward to continuing working with the US and the international community to achieve the desired lasting peace.