His Majesty King Abdullah turns 43 today, looking back at an eventful year of working to fulfill his vision for Jordan and contributing to establishing peace in the Middle East, while looking ahead to domestic, regional and international opportunities.



As King Abdullah's birthday coincides with the start of a new year, for him 2004 began with his efforts to advance his domestic reform agenda, encourage a return to peace talks between the Palestinians and Israelis, and urge an acceleration of steps to restore sovereignty to Iraq.



His visits and talks with leaders around the world centered on achieving regional peace and stability, and promoting Jordan as a modern emerging country with much to offer.


On the national front, the King emphasized that Jordan's pursuit of democracy should result in more progress rather than any retreat. At a January 2004 Cabinet meeting, the King underlined the importance of cooperation between the government and Parliament, particularly on the debate to upgrade or introduce socio-economic and political development legislation.


During that visit to the Prime Ministry, the first since the formation of the government of Faisal Fayez in October 2003, King Abdullah said he hoped 2004 would be a prosperous year for Jordan. “Our primary aim,” the King told the ministers, is “to improve the economic and social situations of citizens and curb poverty and unemployment.”


Last year, King Abdullah witnessed the swearing in of the reshuffled Cabinet of Prime Minister Fayez. Among the highlights of that reshuffle was the formation of a super-ministry charged with the performance of the government and advancing public reforms.


King Abdullah last week gave added impetus to this goal by announcing a new plan for decentralization and increased public representation at the local level through elected councils.


Emphasizing that political, social, economic and administrative development is an integrated process, King Abdullah set a major goal for the coming year, saying it is “essential to expand the base of public participation in that process.”