Jordan Times
Thursday, January 28, 1999
Arab, foreign officials show support for new heir
By a Jordan Times Staff Reporter with agency dispatches
AMMAN — A tide of comments from leading international figures Wednesday showed support for His Majesty King Hussein's decision to designate his eldest son HRH Prince Abdullah as Crown Prince.
But the sudden departure of the King early Tuesday to the U.S. for additional medical attention, exactly one week after his homecoming, raised concerns from Israeli officials and experts on Wednesday.
King Hussein, whose doctors said was suffering from recurrent fevers and a low blood count, was reported to be in stable condition at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, where he recently underwent six months of chemotherapy and a stem-cell transplant for non-Hodgkins lymphoma.
U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, in Cairo for talks with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, on Wednesday promised support for Jordan, praising the "magnificent job" done by King Hussein.
"Obviously what is going on in Jordan is an internal affair," Albright, who will be visiting today to offer congratulations to the Crown Prince, said at a news conference.
"Jordan is a very important country to us," she said, describing the King as a very important regional leader. "We will stand by Jordan and hope that this transition is one that does not create problems."
King Hussein replaced his younger brother HRH Prince Hassan as Crown Prince on Monday. Prince Hassan had been heir to the Throne for 34 years, during which he worked on establishing many of the Kingdom's economic, scientific institutes and think tanks.
"King Hussein has done a magnificent job and is now arranging for a succession," Albright said.
Egyptian Foreign Minister Amr Musa added: "We wish them well — the King and the Crown Prince and Jordan. Jordan is a sister country and an important country in the equation of peace in the Middle East," Musa said.
In Baghdad, the Iraqi daily Babel Wednesday said King Hussein was prudent in appointing his eldest son as his successor, saying the move "is considered one of the most intelligent political decisions which King Hussein has taken, particularly in the 1990s."
Babel, owned by Iraqi President Saddam Hussein's son Uday, said of the new heir, "Prince Abdullah possesses a brave character and is accepted by the military and has good relations with them."
Last month, Iraq's Deputy Prime Minister Tareq Aziz accused Prince Hassan of meddling in Iraq's internal affairs and criticised him for not condemning U.S-led air strikes against Iraq in December.
In an interview on Jan. 20 with CNN, the day after his homecoming following his cancer treatment in the U.S., the King indicated he was dissatisfied with the way the Crown Prince handled the Iraqi situation, saying perhaps he would have handled it differently.
News of King Hussein's abrupt return to the U.S. had Israeli officials and experts worried. However, the Israeli government was careful to down play any likelihood of an erosion of ties with Jordan.
"What worries us the most is that any change in leadership in Jordan involves uncertainties and we must follow developments with the utmost attention," a senior official told AFP on condition of anonymity.
"We are convinced, however, that our peaceful relations with Jordan will continue because this is in the strategic interest of both nations," he said.
The official and other Israeli experts described Prince Abdullah, who turns 37 on Saturday, as a respected military officer with demonstrated abilities as a commander. The Crown Prince holds the rank of major general in the Armed Forces and is commander of the Special Forces Command.
"What we don't know is what his political beliefs are," the official said, adding however that the Crown Prince has had contacts with Israelis both during his studies in the United States and during his military career.
Experts and former diplomats voiced specific concerns.
"Israel has every reason to be concerned about a possible destabilisation of the Hashemite monarchy in Jordan, although this seems very unlikely at this point," said Shimon Shamir, a professor of political science who served as Israel's first ambassador to Jordan from 1995 to 1997.
If King Hussein succumbs to cancer, Shamir said, it could modify relations between East Bank Jordanians and those of Palestinian origin.
Looking at what he sees as potentially concurrent and dangerous developments in the region, Jordan expert Joseph Nevo from Haifa University cited the U.S.-Iraqi crisis, the changes in Jordan and the political uncertainty in Israel as its political parties prepare for the May national elections.
"What would happen with Amman if an extremist government comes out of the elections and deals a final, fatal blow to the peace process with the Palestinians, which is of vital importance for Jordan?" Nevo asked.