AMMAN, 16 May 2004 — Jordan’s King Abdallah yesterday urged world leaders to commit themselves to a Palestinian state and the reconstruction of Iraq if they want political and economic reforms in the Arab world to succeed.
In his opening address at the World Economic Forum (WEF) on the shores of the Dead Sea, Abdallah stressed any such reform must come from within the region.
“Most Arabs agree on the need for reform. They also agree that for reform to succeed, it must emerge from within our societies and not through external influence,” he said at the beginning of the three-day event.
He said the Arab-Israeli conflict, the situation in Iraq and the rise of extremism remained obstacles to peace and prosperity and noted that US President George W. Bush had promised him that he would work toward achieving a Palestinian state.
“The failure of the international community to help make that commitment a reality will only nurture more division,” he warned.
“Last year I urged that there be no more missed opportunities,” the king said. “Well, my friends, our world has missed some opportunities and we have seen what great price is paid — human, political and economic — because of continued tensions and instability,” he said.
Abdallah’s speech put US Secretary of State Colin Powell on the defensive as he attempted to quell Arab anger over the Iraq prison scandal and convince skeptical Middle East leaders that the United States remains committed to a negotiated settlement to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Powell acknowledged that the mistreatment of Iraqi prisoners by US troops had done grave damage to Washington’s standing but appealed to regional leaders to look beyond the abuse and focus on the hopes afforded by Iraq’s “liberation.”
He reiterated US commitments to contribute to a new democratic leadership in Iraq and praised the work by UN envoy Lakhdar Brahimi, who is to oversee the formation of an Iraqi interim government for the period from July 1 until elections in January.
Powell allowed that President Bush’s Middle East policy was at times “controversial,” particularly in his embrace of Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon’s disengagement plan, but remained centered on the creation of a Palestinian state.
“We will not stop working with our Palestinian and Israeli colleagues to move this process forward,” he said in a keynote address.
But he urged the gathering to embrace Sharon’s proposal to withdraw from Gaza, which Sharon is now revising.
“We must seize it and find a way to take maximum advantage of it,” he said, echoing comments he made after seeing Palestinian Prime Minister Ahmed Qorei privately in Amman.
His comments were met with polite applause from the audience, which included Qorei, Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Maher and Arab League Secretary-General Amr Moussa.
