Jordan Times
Tuesday, June 20, 2006
King vows no tolerance to terror supporters
AMMAN (Petra) — King Abdullah said he did not
think there should be any tolerance to those who incite and support terrorism in
any form.
“And I think this is not just a snapshot for Jordan, I think this is a snapshot
for the international community,” the King told German magazine Der Spiegel last
week in an interview, which was published yesterday (see
the interview’s full text).
The King said he believed the overwhelming majority of the Islamic movement in
Jordan is “moderate, peace-loving people”.
"I think the debate in our society now is that people have to agree on
zero-tolerance to terrorism. We have to identify to everybody what terrorism
is," he said.
Commenting on condolences paid by four Islamic Action Front MPs to Abu Mussab
Zarqawi's family, the King said: “There are some elements in the Jordanian
society who are misguided individuals.”
“They have to redefine their relationship with us. They have been working in the
grey area for the past decades,” the King said, referring to the Muslim
Brotherhood.
“I think society throughout the world now has to decide what is good and what is
evil. I believe that the majority of the Brotherhood wants a good future for
this country, and a good future for their children. I think that we can all work
as a team.”
Describing Zarqawi as a mass murderer, who killed innocent people in Jordan,
Iraq and elsewhere, the King said: "I cannot fathom how some people can make
this man a hero."
Meanwhile, he said the Palestinian issue remains the core problem, adding the
Palestinians and the Israelis should be encouraged to concentrate on the great
final goal of a genuine peace, with a secure Israel, living side by side with a
viable, independent Palestinian state.
The King also voiced support for efforts to hold a dialogue between Iran and the
West, stressing that a nuclear arms race is the last thing this part of the
world needs.
On Iraq, he reiterated that Jordan would do all it can to support the
newly-established government to be able to move forward.
"We hope that others in the region will help the Iraqis also," he said.