King Hussein: Middle East passing through a very hard time
Jordan-Egypt, Politics, 1/26/1998

Describing the current situation in the Middle East, King Hussein of Jordan said that it was in a very difficult stage.

"The successful visit gave me the opportunity to talk to my brother President Mohammed Hosni Mubarak of Egypt about the current situation and the necessary steps to be taken into account concerning the coming stages," King Hussein said upon arriving at the airport after his short visit to Egypt.

"You can guess that the visit aimed at serving our issues and the current and future of our nation," he said, refusing to spell out the details.

The peace process was discussed in a concentrated manner, he added. "We considered a suitable conclusion," he told reporters at the airport.

"This is a very difficult moment in the history of the region, but I hope we work together in the future to make our nation capable of facing the challenges," he said. " We hope to see developments that push the peace process forward," he added.

Concerning Jordanian communications with Israel, King Hussein was quoted as saying, "We wanted to clarify our opinions related to bringing the peace process back on the track."

Answering a question about the Iraqi standoff, the king said, "We did not discuss Iraq as a subject; that was because Iraq behaves as it wishes. The world community responds in various forms."

"Unfortunately, we are out of the picture," asked if both leaders discussed the current military tension and the possibility of a military strike against Iraq, the king said.

Yesterday evening King Hussein and President Mubarak, at the Presidential Headquarters in Cairo, held talks behind closed doors. The meeting was followed by an opening discussion between both delegations. Several senior officials in both Jordan and Egypt attended the meeting.

It evaluated the status quo in the region, particularly the Middle East peace process and the crisis it faced on the Palestinian - Israeli track. Both leaders reaffirmed that they would do whatever they could to ease the difficulties facing the peace process.

The two sides also discussed bilateral relations, increased cooperation, the status quo in the region, and regional and international issues of joint interest.

Previous Stories:
  Jordanian Foreign Minister meets Palestinian President   (1/24/1998)
  Mubarak warns against alliances threatening Syria   (1/21/1998)
  King Hussein warns against halt of peace   (1/20/1998)

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