His Majesty King Abdullah II
Interview with
Newsweek
The King of Jordan chastises fellow Arab leaders,
and warns that if the United States fails in Iraq, chaos will follow
By Lally Weymouth
Newsweek
May 24 issue - Last weekend, King Abdullah of Jordan played host to many
dignitaries, including U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell, at a meeting of
the World Economic Forum held at the Dead Sea. In his hotel suite with his
shirt open at the neck, the young monarch spoke frankly to NEWSWEEK's Lally
Weymouth about his hopes and fears for Iraq and for the Palestinian-Israeli
peace process. Excerpts:
WEYMOUTH: Do you think the impact of the prisoner-abuse scandal in Iraq
will be long lasting in this region if those involved are brought to
justice?
HM KING ABDULLAH: It will be long lasting due to the fact that there are
other pictures and video clips that have not come out. Having said that, in
the U.S. you have the rule of law, and if those perpetrators are brought to
justice, that will placate international opinion. There has obviously been a
shock in the U.S., as there has been everywhere else in the world, that this
could happen.
What is your assessment of the situation in Iraq?
Leading up to the handover, you are going to have even more instability.
There are elements in Iraq that are going to try to create sectarian
violence. Those elements want to continue to do that because an unstable
Iraq is where they can establish themselves.
Are you concerned about Iranian influence in Iraq?
There is Iranian influence, but you can't say that is the only issue. We
have to be very careful about how we integrate the Sunni sector back into
Iraqi life. Identify once and for all the Baathists that are non grata,
whether it is 100 or 10,000, so that Sunni society knows that it has a stake
in the future of Iraq.
Identify the bad Baathists?
Identify them, but then let everybody else off the hook. As you are
aware, if you wanted to be a teacher or an engineer, you had to be a Baath
Party member. So the educational system in Iraq is in complete chaos. The
other issue is the reconstitution of the Iraqi Army. You don't take the top
[Baathist] generals, but you work down from the rank of colonel or major.
Lastly, I think, change the word "de-Baathification"... You know in South
Africa, there was the reconciliation commission. That was a positive word.
De-Baathification is a negative.
Do you see a link between the war in Iraq and the Palestinian-Israeli
peace process?
There always has been a link between the Palestinian-Israeli issue and
Iraq. They sort of feed off one another.
Doesn't it put a lot of pressure on America's friends in this region if
there is no peace process?
What worries me is that there is tremendous anti-American sentiment
throughout the Middle East and the world. It's the image people see of
Israeli tanks with Palestinians and American tanks with Iraqis. It's those
images that make people suspicious and frustrated toward what they perceive
as a one-sided American policy.
If Prime Minister Sharon's unilateral withdrawal from Gaza goes ahead, do
you see this as positive? And what role could Jordan play?
As long as it is part of an identified process, which we believe is the
Roadmap, anything that assists in moving forward is positive.
What are you hoping for from the Palestinians?
I am hoping they have a comprehensive strategy to articulate to the
American administration that "this is what is needed and this is what the
Palestinians are prepared to do."
At the upcoming Arab summit, will you push the reform agenda?
We are working hard for a unified Arab position against extremism and
terrorism targeting innocent civilians, which means suicide bombers. We went
to the Arab countries and said, "Look, you need to come together with a
blueprint for Arab reform. If you do not articulate such a blueprint, one
may be forced upon you." We in Jordan are in the clear: we have our plans
and are not using regional problems as an excuse. We are moving forward, as
are some of the other moderate countries. But the rest of you, wake up! The
Middle East is changing.
If the U.S. were to lose in Iraq, what would be the price in this region?
The worst-case scenario of losing in Iraq is civil war there, which will
draw everybody into the fray. Extremists will use an unstable Iraq. We have
seen in history what Lebanon was like during its civil war, but this would
be 10 times worse. [U.S. officials] must get the transition right. If they
don't, we are in for serious trouble.
© 2004 Newsweek, Inc.