Jordanian sovereignty of Baqoura and Ghamr non-negotiable, says FM

Jordan will not negotiate the sovereignty of two areas of land that were annexed by Israel after a peace agreement, the foreign minister said.

"We are a country with international standing. We acted by the letter of the law and we have the tools to protect our interests," Ayman Safadi told local reporters on Monday.

Safadi added the decision not to renew the land agreement with Israel had been decided upon for a long time and there have been no requests from Israel to reconsider the negotiation.

Jordan's king announced on Sunday he will end a land agreement with Israel after protests demanding authorities reclaim two areas under Israeli control as a part of a peace deal.

King Abdullah II made the announcement on the bordering Baqoura and Ghamr areas on Sunday, the official Petra news agency reported.

"Baqoura and Ghamr have always been our top priority," the king tweeted.

"Our decision is to terminate the Baquoura and Ghamr annexes from the peace treaty out of our keenness to take all decisions that would serve Jordan," he added.

Jordan allowed Israel to lease the areas, known in Hebrew as Naharyaim and Zofar, for 25 years under a 1994 peace agreement.

The deadline for renewing the land agreement is this coming Thursday.

Last week, protesters in the Jordanian capital Amman demanded authorities reclaim sovereignty over the territories, The Jordan Times reported.