Interview with His Majesty King Abdullah II

DBC: Your Majesty, thank you very much for joining us on the Business Channel. Let me begin by asking you about the hottest topic of all: what's going on in Iraq. We'd like to hear your thoughts. The war has ended, the Iraqis are not happy, the world is nervous and is not sure of what's going to happen. What about you in Jordan, what are your thoughts?

King Abdullah: Again, like you said, we're all nervous. I think we're very sympathetic to the frustrations that the Iraqi people are going through. But my hope is that as time goes on and as the weeks and the months develop, the issues on the ground start to unfold creating a more sense of security for the Iraqis. And again, I think that the international community are all working to create the atmosphere that allows Iraqis to govern themselves as quickly as possible. It's going to take - I think- a bit longer than we all hope simply because I think the situation on the ground - as we've all seen - is difficult. But I am confident that the Iraqi people will be able to get themselves back on their feet and be able to take care and govern their future in the very near future.

DBC: What do you think, Your Majesty, should happen now to achieve those aims and goals?

King Abdullah: Well, I think security on the ground, and bringing services back is the immediate step. And then increasing “outage” from the collation forces to the different sectors of the Iraqi population so that we can start the political process of creating an agenda that will then have an interim government. I guess, you can say that will then lead to a final future political process for Iraqis.

DBC: Are you having a role in whatever is going on in Iraq at the moment?

King Abdullah: The role that I believe we are doing, that I believe we should do, is the humanitarian role. We have field hospitals on the ground because there is a tremendous health crisis as you are well aware. I think we can play a distinctive role in supporting Iraqis in training as they put their government infrastructures back together. But I think it has to be always done on the civil humanitarian side.

DBC: What about the military side? Jordan has a very strong army, a good army, an efficient army. Can it provide the Iraqis with training?

King Abdullah: It always could. But I think we get ourselves into a very difficult situation. The implications of any Arab country sending forces there can be construed in the wrong way, and therefore I would be very hesitant to send the Jordanian army into Iraq.

DBC: May be you can have them here in Jordan.

King Abdullah: That would be very easy, and that makes a lot of sense, and I believe that would probably happen. As the reconstruction of the new Iraqi armed forces happen, I am sure that there will be officers and NCOs coming over for training or maybe even us sending small training teams to assist in the reconstruction of their forces. But sending forces to stay on the ground, I think would be - the best way I can describe it - an insult to the Iraqis. I am sure they are quite capable of doing that themselves.

DBC: Are you in touch, Your Majesty, with the royal movement in Iraq? Is there something you're watching?

King Abdullah: Again, I am very cautious and think that we should all be very aware that it is very difficult to impose ideas on Iraqis that have suffered for the last 30 years inside Iraq. I believe that - whatever the future is for the Iraqis- those who are living inside Iraq should decide how they want to best govern themselves in the future. And to have different organisations from the left all the way to the right coming in to Iraq and saying we are the solution for you … I don't think it is the right approach.

DBC: If we may shift gears a little bit, and change to the other side of the Jordanian border, where there is also another big problem that is affecting Jordan, the conflict that is going on now between the Israelis and the Palestinians. You've recently hosted, Your Majesty, the Aqaba summit. How do you view the changes on the ground that took place ever since that summit?

King Abdullah: Well, I think we have to just take one step back to realise that there has been some tremendous movement on the political international scene, where for the first time an American president, an American government have strongly come out to say officially that the American policy is that there should be a viable Palestinian state. There should be a state within three years. And they've also implemented something called the roadmap to be able to achieve that. This was all done leading up to the Aqaba summit. The Aqaba summit launched the roadmap. And I think it shows the commitment by the United States coordinating with the EU, the United Nations and Russia, the Quartet will be at the World Economic Forum tomorrow. I think it is a clear signal that there's actually a systematic approach in dealing with the problem. So, I am actually very optimistic. Aqaba launched that process and the Quartet meeting tomorrow at the Dead Sea would be just another step on how to monitor and how to progress the roadmap.

DBC: Immediately after the Aqaba talks, the Israelis went and assassinated a Palestinian leader, the Palestinians retaliated. Then the Israelis tried to assassinate Rantisi, the Palestinians retaliated even more. The cycle of violence is going to continue. Do you see this as a major threat to whatever was achieved in Aqaba?

King Abdullah: It is obviously a threat, that, again I think I even pointed out in Aqaba that we have to be prepared for this to happen. It was obvious to anybody who's been here long enough that the minute you get a process moving to try to solve the problems between the Israelis and the Palestinians, the extremists will try to derail that by using violence, by killing each other. And so that was to be expected. All we're saying is that why allow the destructive forces to rule the day. We have a process. I think that the overwhelming majority of Palestinians and Israelis want to live in security, they want to live in hope for a future for themselves and for their children. And so, as extremists and terror groups try to create these problems, that's part and parcel of - unfortunately- the cycle that we're living in. But let them not win. Let the peace camp win, is I think what we're trying to say.

DBC: And again, what is Your Majesty's role and Jordan's role in trying to bring both sides closer?

King Abdullah: Well, over the past many years, and again this goes back to His Late Majesty King Hussein, and I think in the past four years, we, in Jordan, have been described as the honest broker. We have been in position to smooth the edges over for both the Israeli and Palestinian sides for them to solve their difficulties. And again we see a Jordanian signature in a viable Palestinian state as an American statement, as for trying to create a Palestinian state in three to four years, as well as the roadmap. So, we've been, I think, a very positive element in the peace process and will continue to do so.

DBC: And with your relations with Israel, can we expect to see improvements to help you in that role?

King Abdullah: Well I think the roadmap actually specifies that we have to have an improvement of the relationship in the area. So as the Israelis and the Palestinians move forward, then Jordan and Egypt's relationships can also improve. And we have said to the Israelis that it is very difficult for normalisation when the Palestinians are suffering as they are. So I think that the process of the roadmap will allow our small region of the fertile crescent to get back to a normal, decent, and understanding atmosphere, which we've had in the past but unfortunately the violence of the past three years has really put to one side.

DBC: Would we expect to see a Jordanian ambassador soon in Israel?

King Abdullah: Well I think again the role of the Jordanian ambassador and Egyptian ambassador comes to some commitment to both the Israelis and the Palestinians on the ground. We'd like to see some sincere movement on the process of the roadmap. And in my discussions in Sharm El Sheikh and in Aqaba, I think that the role in the near future of a Jordanian ambassador in Tel Aviv will also be there to assist our friends in the PNA being able to discuss their problems and being able to push their part of the process of the roadmap.

DBC: Let's move to Jordan Your Majesty. Jordan had had some worrying economic problems. The Jordanian government has been working to alleviate all kinds of problems that are related to economic and social development. How do you see your country's economic development moving in the days after the war?

King Abdullah: I think if we go back to the situation four years ago when I was put in this position of responsibility to where we are now, we have come leaps and bounds in economic and social reform. The war obviously put a damper on the Jordanian economy as it did to everybody else in the area. But I think that the ability of the Jordanian economy to leap back will be quicker than most. And although I think it was somewhat checked by the war, I don't think the numbers are going to be that bad by the end of 2003, and we'll be back to a normal growth cycle of good indicators by 2004. So, I am optimistic. One of the major problems obviously is the investment climate that was delayed in the past two years due to the Israeli incursions into the west bank and because of the looming of the Iraq crisis and the war itself. But I think that things will get back to normal very quickly.

DBC: One of the areas of investment attraction is Aqaba. Now Aqaba has been set as a special economic zone that is destined to attract businesses, recreations, hotels, etc. Where is that going Your Majesty?

King Abdullah: That is going very well. And I think that the main effort into Aqaba will be launched in 2003, where we will have tremendous investments in infrastructure, in hotels and in commerce. All I like to say about Aqaba would be that you see Aqaba today, come back in three years time and I don't think you will recognise the city. I think that the expansion and investment going into Aqaba in the next couple of years is going to be tremendous.

DBC: And maybe on a final note, can we talk about your hopes and your fears of the days to come with the changes around us? I am sure you'll have more hopes than fears, but may be we can begin by hopes?

King Abdullah: Well again, I have all the hope and confidence in the way that Jordan is addressing the future. We are pleased that Parliament is back in session. I think that we'll have strong institutions to be able to face whatever obstacles ahead of us. And I think we're going to take everything in stride when it comes to Jordan. The fears are not so much for the future of Jordan. The fears for us Jordanians are the future of Iraqis and Palestinians. And as we alluded to earlier, Jordan will always do its utmost to make sure that the Iraqis have a bright hope for their future as well as the Palestinians. Jordan is in the right direction, and is well, and I am very confident that we will be a centre of excellence. But when you do that, at the same time, it does not work if you're the only one. I think that our commitment - and may be there's a hope in that too - that we can be there for our friends in Iraq and Palestine.

DBC: Your Majesty, we thank you very much on behalf of everybody at the Business Channel for giving us your valuable time, and we wish you the best of luck and success.

King Abdullah: Thank you very much.

DBC: Thank you sir.