Jordan Times
Tuesday, March 16, 2004

Turkish peace role essential — King

Monarch visits Ankara today

By Alia Shukri Hamzeh

The King, who is making his third visit to Turkey since he ascended the Throne in 1999, will also discuss with Turkish President Ahmet Necdet Sezer and Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan ways to strengthen bilateral ties and augment economic and commercial cooperation.

“Jordan and Turkey have shared solid ties over the past years. In addition, Turkey's role is essential in the building of peace because it is an integral party in the region and an Islamic country,” a Royal Court official said.

In a recent interview with the Turkish CNN and the mass circulation Hurriyet daily, the King reiterated Turkey's strategic role and position in the Middle East as an important and fair player.

In reference to neighbouring Iraq, he warned of ethnic strife and urged the international community to prevent any such violence.

“There is a danger of an ethnic war in Iraq. In fact, everybody is aware of that and is trying to prevent it,” the King was quoted by Hurriyet daily on Monday. “Iraq's neighbours cannot tolerate such a conflict... We should do our best to prevent such an ethnic war,” he added, making reference to Jordan, Turkey and other countries surrounding Iraq. He also expressed hope that the Iraqi people would be able to assume responsibility for their own affairs and move on.

Agence France-Presse quoted the King as telling Hurriyet that only time would tell whether the toppling of Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein had been an appropriate move. “If a stable state is established in Iraq, and things are put on track, we can say that overthrowing Saddam was right. But if a civil war erupts and Iraq is divided, we will know it was a mistake,” he said.

The King has recently expressed concern over the situation in Iraq and the lack of progress on the Middle East peace process.

In a recent interview with Al Rai newspaper, the Monarch said he would express his dissatisfaction with the difficult security situation in the neighbouring country to the US administration during his upcoming April visit to Washington. The King said he would push for greater action and participation by the US to help ease the hardships of the Iraqi people and set the Palestinian-Israeli peace process back on track.

“The credibility of the world is being tested. If it does not act to help us to end the conflict and set up peace and justice, anger and violence will engulf the entire world,” the King warned in Al Rai interview.

According to the Royal, Court official, the King will also discuss with Turkish officials a US master plan for the democratisation and economic liberalisation of the Middle East.

In his interview with Hurriyet, King Abdullah said any such reforms should not be imposed from outside the region, but rather stem from the countries themselves and correspond with the aspirations of their people.

“Reforms imposed from the outside could spur a negative reaction. That is why we are seriously trying to come up with something substantial for the upcoming Arab summit in Tunis to base our reforms on,” he said.

Washington wants to launch the international plan, dubbed the “Greater Middle East Initiative,” at a summit of the G-8 industrialised nations in June. However, the yet-to-be-unveiled project seems to have already created controversy in the region.

The King said the people of the region should look at such reforms in a comprehensive manner, adding that each country should set the pace for its own reforms considering the cultural and social differences.

“We will exert great efforts with other Arab countries during the upcoming summit to emphasise to the world that democracy should be built from within,” King Abdullah said. He stressed the importance of solving the Middle East conflict, saying it was an essential factor to regional reforms. He said any reforms in the Middle East should be based on finding a just solution for the Palestinian cause, noting that they cannot be achieved unless regional instability is overcome.

The King also noted that Jordan had started its own active and ambitious reforms years ago.

The official told The Jordan Times that the King would also meet with Turkish businessmen to bring their awareness to investment prospects in the Kingdom. Jordan and Turkey have shared investments and support regional plans for the use of shared resources, notably water, energy and environment.

Jordan's trade balance with Turkey is heavily in favour of Ankara which last year exported $125 million worth of products and imported $13 million worth of goods. A free trade accord is also in the pipeline.

Jordan is working to achieve economic development and improve its investment environment to open up to the international market. The Kingdom has also been trying to sell itself as an important corridor for Iraq rebuilding projects through joint partnerships.

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