His Majesty King Abdullah II
Interview with
Jordan News Agency - Petra
Interviewer: Ramadan Rawashdeh - Director
November 7, 2007
Petra: Your Majesty, Jordan stands
at the threshold of parliamentary elections. What is the message that Your
Majesty would like to send to the Jordanian people on this occasion?
HM King Abdullah: Parliamentary elections are a constitutional requirement and a
step along the right path to develop Jordan politically, economically and
socially. Elections are key to strengthening Jordan's democratic process and
translating our aspirations so that we can build a modern and model Jordan,
where the values of justice, equality, pluralism and equal opportunity prevail.
I have emphasized on more than one occasion that the government is required to
conduct free, fair and transparent elections that guarantee wide voter
participation and I hope that citizens will participate and practice their right
to choose the candidate that is most efficient and capable of conveying their
voice and of placing the national interest ahead of all other considerations.
The next phase is crucial and requires concerted efforts by all citizens,
especially the legislative authority which bears the greater responsibility in
drafting and endorsing legislation that regulates citizens' lives, and in
monitoring the performance of the executive authority within the framework of
the Constitution. Hence the importance of choosing the best, most capable and
patriotic candidate.
Petra: Your Majesty, many pessimists say that the next parliament will not be
different from its predecessor because no major developments have been achieved
in political life.
HM King Abdullah: The fact that these views appear indicates that we are seeing
developments in political democratic life in Jordan, especially since the
voters' mood towards their representatives in parliament is bound to be
reflected in their electoral choices in the coming years. This is a tangible
development in the relationship between voters and their MPs.
I am very keen to develop democratic political life and foster the role of
parties so that they have clear programs and mechanisms and an effective
presence in the next elections. In parallel to efforts exerted to develop
political life, there must be a development of citizens' awareness in order for
us to achieve a strong legislature that includes representatives of all
political and social currents. I am very hopeful that the next parliament will
be extremely efficient and that its members will contribute to developing
political life and will be a major part of this process, because political
development is a comprehensive project and is the responsibility of everyone. I
am confident and reassured of my people's ability to make our democratic march
succeed.
I had hoped that 2007 would be a year of political parties with realistic and
clear programs, but we still need more time and effort to achieve that
objective. National forums have contributed political concepts that can
positively affect our democratic progress, and political parties have a major
role in adopting and fostering these ideas.
Petra: What about after the elections? How does Your Majesty view the next phase
in Jordan's march?
HM King Abdullah: As I mentioned earlier, the next phase is important for Jordan's
future, and we will do whatever we can so that this phase will be one of
implementation and tangible achievement of programs and plans that have matured
and that are a product of national forums and meetings like the National Agenda
and We Are All Jordan and others. These emanated from popular consensus
throughout society. This requires the government to take their recommendations
into consideration when drafting long- and short-term national policies. This
also requires the government to organize the tasks of state institutions to
correspond to the recommendations and programs that came from these forums. In
my opinion, the National Agenda in particular diagnosed reality, defined the
problems and proposed mechanisms for solutions within a timeframe and in
accordance with performance indicators. It is a fitting reference for
governments in organizing priorities and objectives, outlining future plans
particularly regarding economic issues, human resource development, health care,
mineral wealth and providing significant solutions to water and energy resource
problems.
The next phase also requires intense efforts to find and provide job
opportunities for Jordanian youth who will be joining the work force and to arm
youth with the best education and training so that they become an effective and
productive element that contributes to the leap in quality that we seek for
Jordan. This, in my view, is the most appropriate solution to decrease
unemployment and provide real opportunities for citizens to have a decent life.
As for me, I have said on many occasions that providing social security for
citizens across the Kingdom by securing housing, health care, education and
transport is a top priority. I stress here that this is especially important for
those with limited income. I have asked the government to provide them with
special care and increase its support to them.
I have also directed the government to work on including, in the next national
budget, a comprehensive social security network and to adopt a new mechanism
that would tie citizens' income to inflation levels in order to alleviate the
burdens of price hikes that we face today. I am hopeful that next year will be a
year of more construction and achievement that will see positive economic
development and will contribute to lifting citizens' income level in a just and
tangible way.
Petra: Your Majesty, we see your travels and trips around the world, especially
your latest Asia visit which included a trip to China. How will you employ these
visits to serve Jordan's economic and political interests?
HM King Abdullah: Jordan has always sought to build political and economic
partnerships with many world countries. In the economic field, vital sectors
like energy, water and infrastructure need international support and expertise
to ensure the best possible planning and greatest accuracy in implementing
projects. This is why I visited Asian states, most prominently China where we
signed economic agreements worth millions of dollars and benefited from our
distinguished relations with world countries. It will not stop at this; we will
continue our efforts to establish partnerships that will positively impact our
national economic performance and will improve Jordanians' living standards. I
will also visit Britain and Germany in the next few days to discuss political
developments in the region and ways that these countries can help Jordan's
efforts to alleviate its debt burden, in addition to meeting economic and
political leaders in these countries.
Petra: Your Majesty, we understand the importance of international partnerships
to develop Jordan and serve its interests. But what about the necessary
mechanisms to provide the proper local environment for these partnerships to
succeed?
HM King Abdullah: We have started a series of economic and developmental domestic
projects to prepare our national economy and work force to benefit from any
partnership or future investment opportunities. We will continue to pursue the
establishment of several economic and development areas in the country's main
regions. The main objective of these is to provide job opportunities and train
Jordanian youth to be able to compete in Arab and international markets and
ensure the just distribution of developments throughout the country.
Yesterday, I inaugurated a vocational training project for civilians in the
Armed Forces, where they will be trained and employed in the construction
sector. I have directed the prime minister to expand this program to include
5,000 youths in the first phase. The project will eventually train 30,000 people
by the time it ends. The objective of this program is to provide job
opportunities for thousands of young men and women from different governorates.
Over the next phase, work should be focused on developing the legislative
infrastructure in order to provide the legal foundation for incentivizing the
private sector to invest in economic projects, especially in sectors such as
water, energy and infrastructure. We also need to boost and improve exports of
Jordanian products and services and increase Jordan's attractiveness for Arab
and international tourism.
Petra: There is a lot of political speculation about the international peace
meeting in Annapolis. What is Your Majesty's personal reading of the
opportunities for success at this meeting?
HM King Abdullah: Our priority is the establishment of an independent Palestinian
state on Palestinian soil, and we will spare no effort to help the Palestinians
achieve this goal through peaceful negotiations. The largest part of our efforts
and contacts over the last few years have been dedicated to carrying the
Palestinian cause to every international forum, because it is our conviction
that the Palestinian question is also a Jordanian issue and the Palestinian
cause is the Jordanian people's cause as much as it is the Palestinians. This is
also because we believe the future of the region and the stability and security
of its people is connected to the establishment of an independent Palestinian
state.
Regardless of the speculation about the peace meeting, our priority remains: we
will defend Palestinian rights. Jordan was, from the beginning, among those who
sought to convene this meeting, because we see it as an opportunity to
contribute to ending the state of regional tension, end the Israeli occupation,
pave the way for a just solution to the Palestinian issue and ensure the
establishment of an independent Palestinian state. In our view, the meeting
undoubtedly constitutes a valuable opportunity to return to negotiations that
are serious and time-framed and can lead to a comprehensive solution that would
secure inalienable Palestinian rights - rights in Jerusalem, the right of
return, a sovereign state and peace and security for all.
Petra: Your Majesty, do you sense positive signs either from the Palestinians or
Israelis about the Annapolis meeting?
HM King Abdullah: I have sensed seriousness and great concern from the Palestinian
President Mahmoud Abbas to drive the peace process towards a conclusion, an
independent Palestinian state. We also heard from Israeli Prime Minister Ehud
Olmert two days ago that there would be an opportunity to realize real
achievements including a two-state solution before the end of US President
Bush's term, and he described the Annapolis meeting as an opportunity to achieve
progress. These are positive signs that we hope will be followed by more
measures to make the upcoming meeting a success.
Petra: Your Majesty, we realize the priority of the Palestinian cause due to the
historic ties and the national interest. But there are also Arab issues in our
neighbourhood - in Lebanon and Iraq. How does Your Majesty view developments in
these two countries?
HM King Abdullah: Iraq is an integral part of the Arab and Islamic world, and its
security and stability reflects on its neighbours. This is why the Arab
countries need to work to ensure Iraq's unity and Arab character. We count on
the Iraqi people's awareness and its political leadership to frustrate the plans
that others have to undermine their unity and sovereignty. We in Jordan oppose
any plan that threatens the territorial integrity of Iraq and seeks to fragment
it, and we stress that the Iraqis themselves are most capable of drafting their
own future. As for our Iraqi brothers in Jordan, we share with them our
livelihood, and they here among family. We are committed to providing them with
all facilities until they are able to return to their country to participate in
its reconstruction.
As for the political crisis facing Lebanon, we stress our support for the
constitutionalism of Lebanon's presidential elections which we see should
necessarily be free and conducted in accordance with Lebanon's constitution.
Petra: Your Majesty, are you satisfied with the level of coordination among Arab
leaders? I would also like to ask about developments in the peace process and
their impact on relations among Arab countries.
HM King Abdullah: Jordan constantly coordinates and consults with brotherly Arab
countries. Coordination with Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Gulf states is systematic.
We have managed to formulate a united position towards several challenges facing
the Arab nation, and I would like to stress here that Jordan's doors are always
open to other Arabs. For in the end, we seek coordination and consultation with
everyone out of our conviction that the challenges facing the Arab countries
require cooperation in order that they do not grow and so that the Arab citizen
does not find himself hostage to these challenges. We should all remember that
lack of coordination and disunity among Arab countries opens the field to
regional powers eager to implement their agendas. This is definitely something
we wholeheartedly oppose.