Jordan Times
Sunday, November 11, 2001

King reiterates pledge to help anti-terrorism effort

“I think we will be very clear, whatever it takes we will be prepared to do it,” he said in an online interview with the British Broadcasting Corp..

A number of Arab states, including Egypt and Kuwait, have offered to help Washington with intelligence on terrorists.

King Abdullah — who returned to Jordan on Saturday with Her Majesty Queen Rania following a state visit to Britain that included a stay at Windsor Castle and a speech to parliament — emphasised that the threat to the international community came specifically from Osama Ben Laden, the suspected mastermind of the Sept. 11 attacks on the US, not from Afghanistan or the Afghan people.

“So I think you will see that the Jordanian government response will be very specific to that,” he said.

King Abdullah, a leading Arab moderate, has voiced strong support for the anti-terror coalition. Jordan's government has offered to contribute diplomatic support and intelligence.

Jordan, the second Arab state after Egypt to forge peace with Israel, is an important ally of the West in the Middle East.

At a briefing for foreign journalists on Friday, King Abdullah emphasised the importance of resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. He said the Sept. 11 attacks made it more urgent to end the more than 13 months of fighting in which about 745 people have been killed on the Palestinian side and about 195 on the Israeli side.

“If we are going to, out of adversity, create an atmosphere of hope ... then we have to look at the Israeli-Palestinian issue,” he said.

Both sides, he said, are so immersed in the conflict that they are unable to see beyond it.

“The conflict has gotten so much out of control that both sides are in the trenches and ... fail to see the bigger picture,” he said. “Both sides are frustrated, both sides are bloodying each other and at the moment, there doesn't seem to be hope. And we have to give hope.”

King, Queen meet with Archbishop of Canterbury

In their ongoing efforts to deepen Islamic-Christian dialogue and to present a clear image of Islam and Muslims to the West, King Abdullah and Queen Rania on Friday paid a visit to the Archbishop of Canterbury George Carey, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

The King and the archbishop issued a joint statement after their meeting emphasising the fact that the teaching of Christianity and Islam has had a deep impact on human history throughout the past centuries.

The two faiths have contributed to the enrichment of human civilisation in all fields, said the statement.

King Abdullah underlined the importance of promoting interfaith dialogue and the need to promote the common values of both religions in the service of mankind.

The statement voiced the two sides' rejection of any claims that Christian-Muslim peaceful coexistence within the framework of mutual respect was an impossibility.

The archbishop expressed hope that the meeting would serve as a strong symbol for mutual respect and coexistence between civilisations.

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