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Middle East conflict

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Top Jordanian diplomat says summit with Biden’s participation cancelled

"We made the decision not to hold the four-party summit in Amman," Ayman Safadi

Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi AP Photo/ Francois Mori

Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi

© AP Photo/ Francois Mori

DUBAI, October 18. /TASS/. Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi said the October 18 summit in Amman, expected to be attended by US President Joe Biden, has been cancelled.

"We made the decision not to hold the four-party summit in Amman," the minister said in a comment to Al Jazeera.

He said the top-level meeting was cancelled after consultations with other partners - Egypt, the United States and Palestine.

"Our decision not to hold the four-party summit was made after consultations with the Palestinian authorities, Cairo and Washington," Safadi said.

Meanwhile, the White House said early on Wednesday that Biden had cancelled his visit to Jordan.

"After consulting with King Abdullah II of Jordan and in light of the days of mourning announced by President Abbas of the Palestinian Authority, President Biden will postpone his travel to Jordan and the planned meeting with these two leaders and President Sisi of Egypt," a White House spokesperson said in a statement.

According to the release, the US president "looks forward to consulting in person with these leaders soon, and agreed to remain regularly and directly engaged with each of them over the coming days."

Biden also conveyed his condolences for the innocent lives lost in the hospital explosion in Gaza.

The summit was scheduled to take place on October 18, in the Jordanian capital of Amman. It was expected to bring together US President Joe Biden, Jordanian King Abdullah II, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. A spokesperson for the Fatah movement, led by Abbas, said late on Tuesday that the Palestinian president refused to participate in the talks.

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United States Egypt Palestine

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