Jordan Times
Wednesday, September 29, 2004
King warns of growing terror
AMMAN (JT) — His Majesty King Abdullah on Tuesday said he was “concerned over
the growing phenomenon of terrorism,” which threatens human welfare and
security.
King Abdullah told Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi during a meeting in
Rome that finding just solutions to the Palestinian and Iraqi issues, which fuel
violence and tension in the Middle East, will help limit terrorism.
Highlighting Italy's role in the region, the King called on the European Union
to encourage the Palestinians and Israelis to immediately resume negotiations,
push the peace process forward and implement the internationally backed roadmap.
On bilateral relations, King Abdullah discussed with senior officials investment
opportunities available in Jordan for Italian businessmen. Official figures show
that Italian investments in Jordan have been on the rise throughout the past few
years, standing now at $16.5 million.
Jordan and Italy are also bound by an investment promotion agreement signed in
2000.
Meanwhile, the Monarch said Iraq should be assisted in restoring its security
and stability to help its people hold their elections, welcoming a larger UN
role there. King Abdullah told French daily Le Figaro before meeting President
Jacques Chirac in Paris yesterday that Iraq was too dangerous for elections to
be held in January.
“It appears to me impossible to organise indisputable elections in the chaos
currently reigning in Iraq,” the King told the paper. “If the elections take
place in the current disorder, the best organised faction will be the
extremists. And the result will reflect the extremists' advantage. With such a
scenario, there is no chance that the situation will improve.” “There is chaos
in the streets, and everyday that passes sees new agitators infiltrating across
the borders which are terribly difficult to protect. The biggest challenge for
[Prime Minister] Iyad Allawi is restoring security,” he said.
The King warned against proposals that partial elections could be held in
regions that are peaceful in January, on the grounds that this is likely to
exclude the Sunni areas around Baghdad where much of the armed resistance is
concentrated. And he urged the authorities to speed up the reincorporation of
demobilised Iraqi soldiers into the armed forces.
“Not the generals but the officers and junior officers, the middle ranks, who
are the only people in sufficient number and ability to restore order. The
Americans' biggest mistake was to dissolve the security forces and purge the
administration of hundreds of thousands of Baath Party members,” he said. “The
quicker the old army is reconstituted, the better the new one will be.”
Talks with Chirac covered bilateral relations and the Middle East situation.
The two leaders reiterated their countries' support for efforts to revive the
peace process, resume talks and help end violence in the Palestinian
territories.
They stressed the need to maintain the role of the international Quartet, which
drew up the roadmap.
King Abdullah and Chirac agreed that any withdrawal from the Gaza Strip should
be in line with the roadmap, warning against the expanding Israeli settlements,
and the controversial separation barrier in the heart of the West Bank.
Paying tribute to France's “balanced” policy on the Middle East, the King urged
Chirac to use the country's influence to advance the cause of peace in both Iraq
and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. At the economic level, the two leaders
said it was important to enhance bilateral cooperation in various fields,
particularly investment, calling for promoting more joint ventures between the
private sectors in both countries. Chirac stressed his country's support for
Jordan's efforts to develop its national economy and implement its ambitious
development programmes. The size of direct French investments in Jordan
currently stands at 930 million euros in different fields. France is one of the
major investors in the Kingdom. The King was accompanied by Prime Minister
Faisal Fayez, Royal Court Minister Samir Rifai and Minister of Planning and
International Cooperation Bassem Awadallah.