Jordan Times
Sunday, September 11, 2005
King heads to Vatican
today
Monarch to join United Nations World Summit in New York
AMMAN (JT) — His Majesty King Abdullah is expected to leave today for the Vatican City on a one-day visit before heading to the US to join world leaders at a UN summit, a senior Royal Court official said Saturday.
In New York, King Abdullah will join the
September 14-16 UN World Summit, expected to be the largest gathering of world
leaders in history with an estimated 171 participants are scheduled to attend.
King Abdullah's meeting with Pope Benedict XVI on Monday will build on “the
strong relations that Jordan had established with the late Pope John Paul II,”
the official said. Their talks are to discuss ways in which Muslims and
Christians can continue to work for peace, tolerance and coexistence.
During the summit, leaders representing 191 member states will try to take bold
action on key priorities to deal more effectively with issues of development,
security, human rights and reform of the UN. On the sidelines, the King will
hold talks with several world leaders and officials on regional issues,
including the situation in Iraq and the Middle East peace process as well as
bilateral relations.
According to the Royal Court official, King Abdullah is expected to meet with US
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and other senior administration officials
and congressmen.
It was not immediately confirmed if the King would meet with Israeli Prime
Minister Ariel Sharon on the sidelines of the UN summit. News agencies last week
quoted senior Israeli diplomatic sources as saying that the King would be
visiting occupied Jerusalem this week for talks with Sharon. But Royal Court
officials said the meeting “was not yet scheduled.”
In an interview with Israeli TV on Friday, the King said the Palestinian
government can put a stop to the chaos raging on its violent streets and
negotiate peace with Israel, but only with international help.
“I do think you do have a partner for peace, but again, I think all of us,
whether it's Jordan, Israel or the international community, we have to
strengthen the [Palestinian Authority] because there are going to be extremists
on either side that want to derail the process,” the King said in the interview,
recorded in Amman.
In New York, the Monarch is also scheduled to participate in the inaugural
meeting of the Clinton Global Initiative, slated for September 15-17. The
meeting will hold workshops that focus on how to reduce poverty, use religion as
a force for reconciliation and conflict resolution, implement new business
strategies and technologies to combat climate change and strengthen governance.
Before heading to New York, King Abdullah on Tuesday will address students at
Washington's Catholic University of America Columbus School of Law.
The Royal Court official said the King's “Traditional Islam: The Path to Peace”
address is part of Jordan's efforts to enhance interfaith dialogue and shed
light on common teachings in both religions, including tolerance and
forgiveness.
During the trip, the King and Her Majesty Queen Rania will hold a roundtable
discussion with a group of students and teachers from Banneker High School, the
Hebrew Academy, International Saudi Academy and Cardozo Senior High School in
Washington.
According to the Royal Court official, the King is also expected to meet with
Muslim, Christian and Jewish leaders as well as members of the business
community during his US visit.