Jordan Times
Wednesday, November 8, 2006
Reversal of disengagement with West Bank out of question — Bakhit
AMMAN (JT) — Prime Minister Marouf Bakhit said a
“unity formula” between Jordan and the West Bank, like that hammered out in
1950, could not be repeated, adding that Jordan wants an independent Palestinian
state and rejects any alternative solution to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.
In a wide-ranging interview with the London-based Arabic daily Al Hayat
yesterday, conducted by Nabil Gheishan, the premier said any talk now about
Jordan reversing its 1988 decision to disengage administratively and politically
with the West Bank “would probably not be in the best interest of the
Palestinian cause.”
He said recent calls to revoke the disengagement decision are “confusing,
indecipherable and launched at a sensitive and complicated stage when the best
thing to do for the brotherly Palestinians is to emphasise their identity and
mobilise all efforts towards the establishment of an independent Palestinian
state.”
“Anything other than that is outright manipulation of the ultimate goals of
Palestinians and is harmful to the interest of both Palestine and Jordan,” he
added.
Jordanian prisoners in Israel
The prime minister said the government has not abandoned the issue of Jordanian
prisoners in Israel and is doing what it can to ensure their release. Progress
is slow, he acknowledged, attributing that to complications inherent in this
file. “We have no means to pressure Israel but legal arguments and utilising our
ties to achieve that end,” he explained.
“I can claim that I am very knowledgeable regarding the prisoners’ file, due to
the fact that I was the ambassador in Tel Aviv. I am not exaggerating when I
tell you that I know the prisoners by name and I know their families. I am also
aware of the scale of efforts that have been made to solve this issue,” Bakhit
told Al Hayat.
Hamas
The premier said in the interview that rapprochement in the relationship with
Hamas might come through official channels, i.e. dealing with the group in its
capacity as the ruling party in the Palestinian government.
“If there are outstanding issues with the Palestinian government led by Hamas,
there are channels and traditions to address these files. Traditionally, Jordan
has never dealt with organisations or factions regarding official affairs in
particular. We would rather communicate with regimes and governments.”
He said the renewal of Hamas Politburo Chief Khalid Mishaal’s passport was a
right he was entitled to, but Jordan does not term this as rapprochement or
otherwise because it does not deal with an individual who has no official status
in the Palestinian government.
US ties
Bakhit told Al Hayat that the leadership cares about rapport with its people
before any other consideration. Ties with the US, he said, are historical and
were taken decades ago as a strategic option “when there was more than one
choice… in the age of alignments.”
It turned out that Jordan’s choice was sound, he said, and it is now employing
its good ties with Washington to serve Arab causes.
Besides, “Jordan’s ties with the US are not confined to the US government. His
Majesty the King has been able to convey the voice of Islamic moderation to key
US institutions, NGOs and pressure groups with skill and proficiency,” he added.
“We are not an isolated regime. We insist on having open relations with the
world on an equal basis.”
The campaign against Jordan
“We are not fond of conspiracy theories,” the premier said, commenting on US
media attacks on Jordan. “There have been offences against Jordan, yes, by some
paper or some journalist, and in the reports of certain organisations, but we
know the motive behind these offences. We know who is behind them and we know
that there are related considerations that have nothing to do with the general
official approach of US policy towards Jordan.”
“To explain further, the latest offence targeting Jordan was included in a US
report as a result of a stand taken by a certain individual. We know the reasons
behind it very well and we do not think it represents the stand of the American
people,” he added.
Cabinet reshuffle
The prime minister said the imminent Cabinet reshuffle would be “minor,” adding
that it would involve the “transfer of ministers, merging of ministries and
dismantling of some portfolios.” He said the reshuffle was driven by the need
for “new visions to implement new measures.”
“There have been plans related to this government’s programme that were carried
out with utmost efficiency by the concerned ministers. There are future project
that might require new ministers to implement,” Bakhit said.