Interview with His Majesty King Abdullah II
JTV: Your Majesty, allow me to start this interview with talking about the economic situation. Since the first day, you made comprehensive economic development and improving citizens' living conditions your top priority. Everyone is following with interest Your Majesty's efforts to achieve this goal. Allow me, Your Majesty, to ask you how close are we to achieving this goal?
King Abdullah: I know very well the suffering that Jordanian citizens are experiencing, especially in terms of the economic and financial situation. I know how much we need to change and improve the economy to be able to improve citizens' living conditions. Our economy is suffering as a result of the tremendous foreign debts that have accumulated over the years, in addition to the problem of unemployment and economic stagnation which are also affecting most of this region's countries. Based on this, we have no way but to work on reducing the impact of foreign debts and addressing them. Thus, we worked with the donor countries and our friends in the world to write off or cancel some of these debts. Thank God, many of the friendly and brotherly countries cooperated with us and assisted us in this regard.
JTV: And unemployment, Your Majesty?
King Abdullah: To address the effects of unemployment and the resulting problems, we have been working on creating job opportunities and attracting investments from abroad and from within. We had to reconsider many laws and regulations in order to create a favourable investment climate. For example, we launched the Aqaba Special Economic Zone (ASEZ), we completed the needed infrastructure and the necessary legislation and now it is up to the private sector to work and to invest in Aqaba. Many Jordanian investors own ventures abroad. Now they have wider scope to invest in their country, but, unfortunately, from what I see, it seems foreign investors are more enthusiastic to invest in Jordan than some Jordanians.
Since the beginning, there was a need to create a real partnership between the public and private sectors through the Economic Consultative Council. I do believe that the creative, patriotic, trained and qualified Jordanian is the foundation of development. The citizen, thus, is our target and means. And as such, we had to review all our educational and training programmes to rehabilitate and train our citizens.
JTV: What is Your Majesty's evaluation of what has been achieved thus far?
King Abdullah: What we have done and achieved up until now is that we have prepared a solid ground for the growth of comprehensive economic development. We know that the fruits of these efforts will not be felt in one day or one night. The process requires some patience as well as faith and confidence in ourselves and in our abilities to achieve our aspirations and face the challenges. I know that there are campaigns aimed at spreading scepticism and pessimism carried out by some with personal agendas or by those who want the change to take place, but are unable to comprehend the scope of the process. We are aware of the reasons behind these campaigns, their goals and those responsible. Such attempts will not affect our resolve or our determination. I am optimistic that in the near future, God willing, we will start to see and feel the fruits of these efforts.
JTV: Your Majesty, allow me to move to the situation in the region, especially in light of what the Palestinian people are exposed to from the Israeli government. What is Jordan's stand on the peace process? Are there fears of an explosion of the situation in the region?
King Abdullah: The Palestinian question is the core cause of the conflict in this region. There will be no peace or stability in this region unless the Palestinian people regain their full rights, including the establishment of their independent state on their national soil, with Jerusalem as its capital. We in Jordan are the closest of Arabs to our Palestinian brethren, and their suffering is ours. We stand by their side with all our capabilities in their honourable struggle to gain their freedom and independence, and to build their state. If the world is really keen to preserve the stability of this region and to protect its interests, it should play a more effective role for the achievement of regional peace and stability, especially at this historic and critical stage.
JTV: Your Majesty, what about the US role?
King Abdullah: The US plays an important and key role. So do Europe and Russia. But efforts have to be united to be able to revive the peace process on all tracks, including the Syrian and Lebanese tracks, and to settle all differences on the basis of international resolutions, the tenets of the Middle East peace process. And as I said before, we support our Palestinian brethren as we support our brethren in Syria and Lebanon.
JTV: Your Majesty, and so the Jordanian-Egyptian peace initiative was launched within this framework?
King Abdullah: The Jordanian-Egyptian initiative was meant to enable the Palestinian people to regain their rights and establish their independent state, and the initiative was complementary to international efforts aiming to revive the peace process.
JTV: Your Majesty, as chairman of the Arab summit, you were entrusted with following up the issue of reconciliation between Iraq and Kuwait. Where has the process reached?
King Abdullah: Whether I am the chairman of the Arab summit or not, Jordan has always been fully keen to settle any differences between Arab brethren, fully keen on the unity of Arab ranks, solidarity and joint Arab action. Jordan will always remain loyal to the principles of the Great Arab Revolt and its message for the sake of Arab unity and safeguarding our causes and future. We will do our utmost to settle these differences and revive understanding, confidence and cooperation between the brothers in Iraq and Kuwait and end the suffering of the Iraqi people and the siege imposed on the country for several years.
JTV: Your Majesty, there are several voices saying there has been a regression in the democratic march and pluralism. Can we have your comments on that?
King Abdullah: We hear such talk from some political parties, journalists, writers, associations, and others. The Constitution is clear and to the point in defining the concept of freedoms. Laws that organise the work of political parties, associations and the press conform to the spirit of this Constitution. Therefore, any attempt to break these laws is an attempt to negate the Constitution. We are fully keen to protect political parties, associations and the press. But all these must adhere to the Constitution and the laws that define their work. The agendas of political parties have to be national. The associations have to focus on professional matters and develop their professions and upgrade the standards of their members; and the press has to be national. But if these parties or the press have a non-national agenda or have foreign affiliations or directives, which is an unfortunate reality, this is a big problem. And strangely, some parties are trying to outbid us in terms of their patriotism and belonging. We, as do all people, know that they have their non-national agendas and have foreign affiliations and directives. These groups are few - thank God - but have a loud voice and exploit any occasion or small incident to harm national unity and at the same time feign tears over it.
From the beginning I said that there is no ceiling to freedoms. For me, the ceiling of freedoms is the higher national interest. It is our duty to protect our democratic march, to protect it from foreign interference and attempts to undermine it or divert it from its true path, whether through funding or directives.
JTV: Your Majesty, now that the Lower House of Parliament has been dissolved, when are the legislative elections expected to be held?
King Abdullah: When the government concludes all necessary arrangements and is fully prepared to hold the elections, the polls will take place without delay. And allow me here to reassure every citizen that these elections will be fully free, fair and transparent and thus preclude any party from casting doubts or interfering. I am personally keen to have these elections serve as an example of fairness and transparency. The important thing here is to have every citizen take part in these elections and to choose the qualified and capable candidate who is able to shoulder this responsibility. Participation in the elections is a patriotic and sacred duty and is the right of every citizen who is keen to serve his country.
