Jordan Times
Wednesday, August 9, 2006
King warns against
‘empty slogans’
DEAD SEA (Petra) — His Majesty King Abdullah on Tuesday said it is important for
Jordan to face current challenges with “wisdom and a sense of responsibility and
not to be swept up by slogans and extremist thoughts.”
The country “should not be a tool manipulated by external and regional powers
that do not want the good of Jordan,” the King told 800 tribal leaders who
gathered at the King Hussein Ben Talal Convention Centre.
Stressing that empty slogans and false populist stands do not serve Jordan and
its interests, the King warned that the region “is going through the most
serious conflicts and regional and sectarian wars that threaten an explosion in
the situation any time and any place now.”
But he assured them that Jordan has seen situations “more serious and perilous,”
but it has proved strong and powerful enough to overcome them.
The King urged Jordanians “to work shoulder-to-shoulder to protect the homeland
and preserve its achievements for which it has made big sacrifices.”
Jordan’s strength and ability to support Arab brothers lies in its ability to
preserve its national unity and a solid internal front, he said.
King Abdullah reiterated that only a strong Jordan can be helpful to the
brotherly Arabs facing crises in Palestine, Lebanon and Iraq.
The country has never abandoned its responsibilities towards Arab causes, he
stressed, especially the Palestinian issue, “regardless of its humble
capabilities and the unjust campaigns” seeking to cast doubt on Jordan’s
intentions throughout the past decades.
Regarding the conflict in Lebanon, the King reiterated that since the very
beginning, “our stand was clear and outright in condemning [Israel’s] aggression
and calling for an end to the brutal acts against innocent children, women and
the elderly Lebanese.”
“This stand by Jordan,” he said, “has been translated into facts on the ground
and humanitarian and political support for the Lebanese people and
government....”