Jordan Times
Friday, September 22, 2006
Queen Rania stresses
need for peace
AMMAN (JT) — Her Majesty Queen Rania on Thursday stressed that the only way to
create a stable and secure world is to address global injustices, specifically
in the Arab world.
Speaking on the second day of the Clinton Global Initiative in New York City,
the Queen said: “The rift between East and West has deepened... that’s something
we really have to address. Extremist ideology is getting a lot of resonance...
[It] has always existed throughout history, but always on the fringes because by
nature human beings are moderate. But what happens is they are being pulled into
the centre by two forces: The lack of knowledge we have of one another... and
grievances not dealt with.”
During Thursday’s panel, entitled “Managing Diversity in a Globalised World,“
Queen Rania said that only through person-to-person interaction could the global
community begin to connect.
“Living in the same neighbourhood is not multiculturalism. You have to invite
people into your home... This nuanced approach is critical, otherwise we cannot
understand each other,” she added.
The Queen cited the unresolved conflict between Palestinians and Israelis as one
of the biggest obstacles facing global security. The conflict, she said, “acts
like a blockade that rivals any army or any navy from stopping goodwill from
flowing because there’s so much frustrations, so much lack of hope. This is the
issue that is at the core of our region and in the heart of every Arab.”
She cited the war in Lebanon as another example of injustice in the region.
“In Lebanon... innocent civilians were being killed. We were seeing, on a daily
basis, bodies of babies being put in plastic bags and vital infrastructure
destroyed.”
As a result of this, the Queen noted that there was a risk of moderation losing
ground and losing currency in the region,
“So if you want to strengthen the moderates, people have to see the dividends of
moderation, they have to see the dividends of peace and now they’re not seeing
that... They have to see justice and an honest engagement in their cause.”
Other participants in Thursday’s panel included Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu
and President of Afghanistan Hamid Karzai. Newsweek International Editor Fareed
Zakaria moderated the panel.
Both Archbishop Tutu and President Karzai underscored the need for
cross-cultural understanding and dialogue.
At the start of the session, former US president Bill Clinton introduced four
new commitments: $40 million to pass the California clean energy initiative; the
launch of new public service announcements to educate and inform people in
Africa and the Caribbean about AIDS/HIV; new partnerships to establish peace in
Rwanda by creating permanent forms for debate at many levels; and $500 million
to fund microfinance in Africa and Asia over the next five years.
Meanwhile, Queen Rania, who joined the United Nation Foundation board of
directors on Sept. 13, on Wednesday met with Ted Turner, chairman of the board,
to discuss her involvement in the foundation.
The Queen also met with UN Undersecretary General for Humanitarian Affairs and
Emergency Relief Coordinator Jan Egeland to discuss the humanitarian situation
and relief efforts in Lebanon as well as the current conflict in Gaza. In July,
Egeland launched a $100 million US aid appeal for Lebanon, over 95 per cent of
which the UN has secured from donor countries.