King Abdullah II: I follow up success of Egyptian economic reforms
Jordan, Politics, 2/9/2000

In an interview to "Al-Ahram" newspaper, King Abdullah II of Jordan said that there was no other way for saving the existing opportunity for establishing peace in the Middle East other than working for solving the problems hindering Arab-Israeli negotiations.

The king said fears of any clash on the Palestinian-Israeli track are unjustified, indicating that his country was making efforts for convincing Israelis of clearing clutters hindering their negotiations with the Palestinians. He said Jordan was attempting at the same time to submit the ideas which could help narrow the gap between Syria and Israel.

During the interview run by Al-Ahram mission in Amman at the beginning of a press assignment for Jordan, Lebanon and Turkey to explore the future of the region after settlement, King Abdullah answered questions on the call he has launched at Davos Economic Forum for the establishment of a fertile crescent with the aim of promoting regional economic cooperation after the establishment of peace in the region. He said he attempted to convince attendees to establish investments in the region, not in Jordan only.

He said he believed that the formula of the Fertile Crescent is one of the ideas which aims at promoting regional economic cooperation. He said this project could start first through cooperation between Egypt and Jordan and then expand to comprise other countries such as Libya and Saudi Arabia.

King Abdullah said he was following the economic success in Egypt and the ideas which have been raised for development and reform, adding he was keen to benefit from these ideas. He said Egyptian-Jordanian economic cooperation is very important not only for Jordan but also for the whole region.

Egypt-Jordan Relations

The Jordanian Monarch emphasized the significance of Egyptian-Jordanian relations on the various levels, adding he and President Mubarak are having excellent relations. He said he was benefiting from President Mubarak's advice, adding he has suggested to President Mubarak to dispatch an economic team for considering the establishment of projects for the joint industrial production. He said this could serve as a nucleus for economic integration among Arab countries.

He expounded that there is no differentiation between Jordanians and Palestinians living in Jordan, adding "our aim is to establish the Palestinian state". He said any talking about settling Palestinians in Jordan aims at raising problems.

He said his dictionary contains nothing called settlement, adding his aim is the establishment of the Palestinian state. He said he would confer with the Palestinian side later and discuss with them whether they want confederation or any other formula.

Dr. Fayaz Tarawneh, Chief of the Jordanian Royal Court who attended the interview, said Jordan supports the right of return and compensation of the Palestinians, adding solving the issue of refugees would not be at the expense of Jordan.

King Abdullah dismissed as incorrect reports that he has recently conveyed during his recent visit to the US a message from Iraqi President Saddam Hussein to President Bill Clinton. He said there were no contacts between Amman and Baghdad other than those dealing with bilateral relations.

He stressed that there is no fear of globalization, adding however that each country has the right to find a formula for coping with globalization. He added it is very important to be aware of the nature of change, stressing the necessity of qualifying a new generation which applies sophisticated techniques of knowledge.

He said he believed that the Arab common market might be one of the key instruments which helps Arabs confront challenges of globalization and integration into the world economy in the future.

Previous Stories:
  Jordanian king voices backing to Syria and Lebanon   (2/8/2000)
  Report: Jordanian authorities ban Syrian Muslim Brothers consultation meeting   (2/8/2000)
  King Abdullah calls on Barak to deal seriously with Middle East peace process   (2/7/2000)

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