Interview with His Majesty King Abdullah II
In the interview, His Majesty King Abdullah highlights Jordan's efforts to rekindle Arab solidarity as well as impress upon friendly Western countries Jordan's need to revive its economy and thus continue to play its vital role in the Middle East.
King Abdullah: We had many visits around the Middle East to reinforce relationships with Arab states, calling for support and Arab unity. At the same time, I met people I had never met before, to get to know each other. I also made visits to the G-7 countries in the hope of getting them to appreciate our economic difficulties and hardships, especially our debt burden. So, we have strengthened our relationships with the countries of the world.
WTN asked if King Abdullah wanted to follow in the footsteps of his father in pursing efforts to arrive at a comprehensive peace in the region.
King Abdullah: The late King Hussein did so much to bring peace to this part of the world. I am grateful that Jordan has been given the chance to continue His Majesty's legacy, and it is my aspiration to bring peace and security to this area. Israel has had peace with Jordan and is now having negotiations with the Palestinians. Last week, talks started with Syria. So, the dream of His Majesty King Hussein for a comprehensive peace will come true.
On the Syrian-Israeli track:
King Abdullah: Earlier in the year, we were asked by the Syrians to send a message to the Americans and the Israelis. The message was that Syria wants to have peace. We were convinced that President Hafez Assad wanted to have peace and has the determination to solve the problem. So, Jordan's role was to bring the two sides together, and now it has been done. Also we have been very supportive of our Palestinian brothers to have peace and that the Palestinian-Israeli problem has to be solved before we achieve true peace in the region.
On Iraq:
King Abdullah: We are very concerned about the plights of the Iraqi people and we hope that as soon as possible the international community will come up with the formula to solve the suffering of those people. I also support the integrity of Iraq. Iraq must be a one unified country, and the international community must be sensitive and aware of this issue.
Asked about his views on the media in Jordan:
King Abdullah: We are trying to liberalise on media laws. I think we can have press freedom as long as there is some responsibility. I hope some elements in the press do not use hatred, security and paranoia to turn groups against each other. The majority is for taking the country forward, but the negative elements in our press are something that I am very much against.
On the Kingdom's privatisation drive:
King Abdullah: We are looking forward to economic reform and we have been pushing very hard. I think the government has done a wonderful job in the field of privatisation, more that the international community can expect from us.
About modernisation in Jordan:
King Abdullah: The problem that Jordan is facing at the moment is its economic hardships. Jordan is on the way to recovery. The quicker we can revive the economy, the quicker we can stand on our own feet. This will be a great addition to stability and a better way of life in all the region. Last month, we had a meeting at the Dead Sea with the private and public sectors, Parliament members, senators, unions and the press, and we worked out an agenda to carry out social, economic and education reforms. We are now going to carry out the recommendations in the next two [sic] days.
About help from the international community:
King Abdullah: We had tremendous support from the international community vis-à-vis our debts and our economy. We had tremendous responses from the international community and we sensed interest from the international private sector to invest in the Kingdom's Qualifying Industrial Zones in different industries such as medical and tourism industries, as well as the services sector and hi-tech. We have a huge workforce, a very educated workforce which helps to a great extent in this regard. I have hope in economic reform and I have the desire to move forward.
