Interview with His Majesty King Abdullah II
Okath: Your Majesty, what are your views on the special relations between Jordan and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia? How do you see the future of relations and strategic coordination relating to the causes of the Arab nation?
King Abdullah: First, I'd like to point out that this visit is for conducting Umra [the lesser pilgrimage] and greeting the Prophet Mohammad (peace and blessings be upon him).
The Saudi-Jordanian relations are strong and historic, having been laid over decades on a solid basis of fruitful and constructive cooperation to the benefit of both peoples and the one Arab nation.
The truth is that the brotherly relations between the two royal families in Jordan and Saudi Arabia have always been solid and marked with clarity, purity and understanding on all issues concerning our Arab world.
Since I assumed my responsibilities in Jordan, I have been in constant contact with my elder brothers King Fahd Bin Abdulaziz and Crown Prince Abdullah Bin Abdulaziz, to listen to their opinions and coordinate with them on bilateral, regional and international issues of interest to our two countries. I found in them complete understanding of the necessity of strengthening the relations between the two countries and supporting Jordan in all fields.
We in Jordan shall not forget the stance of the brothers in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia towards Jordan during all the difficult times it had gone through. The stance of King Fahd and Crown Prince Abdullah at the time of King Hussein's death, may God rest his soul, touched myself and the Jordanian people. The Jordanians appreciate these stances by Saudi Arabia, both leadership and people, and they value the brotherly efforts in supporting us and standing by the causes of the Arab and Islamic nation.
I believe that the brothers in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and ourselves are in agreement on the importance of reviving Arab solidarity, strengthening Arab cooperation and eliminating all causes of division within the Arab nation, as the unity of the nation is sufficient in itself to face the challenges.
Okath: What about Saudi-Jordanian cooperation towards the developments of the peace process? How has Jordan worked to revive the Syrian-Israeli and Palestinian-Israeli tracks? What can Amman do to boost these two tracks?
King Abdullah: We in Jordan and Saudi Arabia agree on supporting all efforts aimed at achieving a just, comprehensive and lasting peace in the region, which would return everything to those who have a legitimate right to it. Stemming from that, we seek, along with our Saudi brothers, to coordinate for the purpose of supporting the Arab position, Palestinian, Syrian or Lebanese, and standing by them in their legitimate demands.
I believe that just as we stood by our Palestinian brothers, and still do, during their negotiations with the Israelis and supported their legitimate demands, guaranteed by international laws, we stand today fully by the side of our Syrian and Lebanese brothers and we support their demands for the return of occupied Syrian and Lebanese lands.
During my visits and contacts in different parts of the world, I have explained the Syrian, Palestinian and Lebanese points of view regarding the peace process, and means of supporting it towards a just, comprehensive and lasting peace. Today, with the resumption of the Syrian-Israeli negotiations, we are more optimistic than before. We hope that a breakthrough is forthcoming. We also hope that progress on this track will complement and support the Palestinian track, because we know and reiterate in every meeting that the Palestinian question is at the core of the conflict and that a comprehensive, just and lasting peace cannot be achieved except by the Palestinians regaining their rights and establishing their independent state on their national soil.
Okath: What is your view on the relations between the two countries, and ways of strengthening them?
King Abdullah: As I mentioned before, the special bilateral relations between Jordan and Saudi Arabia are growing rapidly at all levels. We had sensed, through our meetings with King Fahd, Crown Prince Abdullah and Prince Sultan the second deputy, their concern for strengthening and supporting these relations in all areas, especially the economic sphere.
As you know, our nation is now facing an economic challenge in this historic stage. Therefore, the efforts of the Arab nation should be directed towards establishing economic cooperation between the countries of this region and uniting their efforts and resources in order to secure a bright and promising future for the coming generations.
