Prince Hassan: Palestinian rights are basic for Jordan's security
Jordanian Crown Prince Hassan Bin Talal said that "restoring the full legitimate rights of the Palestinians" is viewed as one of the "basics" for the security of Jordan and the Middle East region as a whole.
He stressed that violating any of these rights is a violation of Jordanian security and a threat to its stability. In the "Throne" speech he delivered on Saturday at the opening of the ordinary session of the Jordanian Nations Council on behalf of King Hussein,who has been undergoing treatment for cancer in the USA for more than four months, Crown Prince Hassan said that Jordan, which is linked to a common destiny with the Palestinians, is looking forward to "an era of integration between the two sisterly peoples."
He reiterated Jordan's position in support of the Palestinian leadership and people and in support of the peace process until a just, durable and comprehensive peace is achieved in which all sides concerned are taking part.
Jordanians of Palestinian origin constitute more than half of the country's population. They complain about the small margin of their representation in the Jordanian parliament and in the country's high posts.
Prince Hassan highlighted the need for "preserving solidarity of the internal front." He stressed determination to confront and deter those who try to create rifts in Jordanian society. He pledged to "exert all efforts to lift embargo imposed on any Arab country, especially Iraq, Sudan and Libya," noting that Jordan will continue building of cooperation and integration relations with all Arab states in the course of "frameworks that honor the speciality of each country, and achieve the betterment of our nation."
On the internal level, the Jordanian crown prince said the government proceeds with "organizing the labor market and confronting poverty and unemployment." However, some 650,000 non-Jordanian nationals are working in Jordan, which the government is working to dismiss half of before the middle of next year.
Official statistics say the unemployment rate in Jordan is more than 16% of the country's labor force, estimated at one million persons. About 52% of Jordanians live under the poverty line, whereas living conditions for this year registered an increase of 5% over those of 1997.