Interview with His Majesty King Abdullah II
FOX: Your Majesty, you were speaking in Aspen the other day about the importance of trust, and that the United States may have forfeited some of the trust they once enjoyed in the region. What did you mean?
King Abdullah: Well, unfortunately I think that there is a perception in the Middle East that American policy is somewhat biased to Israel and as a result there's been tremendous frustration in the Arab streets that America may not be on honest broker. Now I know that the president in particular is a very fair and just man and wants to find a just solution to both the Israel and the Palestinian problem.
FOX: There is a perception here in the United States that Yasser Arafat is a man who is much better at making promises than in carrying them out. Do you think Yasser Arafat has it in him to be a man of peace?
King Abdullah: Our policy is that we have to do with what we've got. Arafat has been elected by his people. I know that there are similar concerns in the Middle East and Europe about whether Prime Minister Sharon is a man of peace but at the end of the day he is elected by his people.
FOX: There has been concern that Yasser Arafat may not indeed be capable of guaranteeing peace. You have various groups that say they are going to operate independent of the Palestinian authority. Do you think it's possible for him or anybody else in his position to create the basis of peace and a guaranteed peace with Israel at this point?
King Abdullah: The president was very clear on the vision of a Palestinian state within three years. But at the moment we are lacking the methodology or the sequence of events that need to translate the president's vision into reality. We need to work together as a team to make something on the ground that makes sense. And at the same time put more meat on the Arab proposal, which offers Israel everything it wants.
FOX: Do you think groups like Hamas want to see peace or do you think they at this point they continue to see violence as a successful means for achieving their political ends?
King Abdullah: We have to articulate a vision to get the people motivated in the right direction. At the moment a Palestinian, and as you said there is a lot of discussion about how to move the Palestinian society forward. What argument does he have to a brother of his that might want to go blow himself up, not to do so? We have to give hope to the people to be able to stop and say look you are affecting my future and my life.
FOX: You've issued some stern warnings about the United States should there be an invasion of Iraq and as you know there has been a lot of warlike rhetoric in this country in the expectation that the President will act. One of the arguments we hear a lot in this town, especially in diplomatic circles, is that Middle Eastern, Arab diplomats will say publicly and heads of state will say this is a terrible thing to do but privately will say if you're going to do it, make sure you win. Which is it?
King Abdullah: Everybody in the world has raised their hand and said to America, Look we are seriously concerned about military action and if the whole world is saying something, they might have a point.
FOX: If you take a look as a military operation, do you think Americans are being too optimistic about the possibilities of swift military success there?
King Abdullah: The nightmare scenario that all of us have in the international community is that Iraq is a fragile society that basically incorporates three groups, the Sunni-Muslims, the Shiite-Muslims and the Kurds. Any instability in Iraq that could create a scenario where these three groups have a go at each other could have a tremendous overspilling into the rest of the Middle East. And so the potential of bloodletting inside of Iraq and the break-up or the fragmentation of Iraqi society is something that really concerns everybody in our area.
