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Al-Ahram Weekly 21 - 28 January 1999 Issue No. 413 
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Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Al-Ahram Weekly 21 - 28 January 1999 Issue No. 413
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| Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Egypt Region International Focus Economy Opinion Culture Features Living Travel Sports People Time Out Chronicles Cartoons Letters King Hussein welcomed home
By Lola KeilaniAt the controls of his own jet, King Hussein arrived in Jordan on Tuesday after six months of cancer treatment in the United States. Tribesmen offered animal sacrifices in his honour while crowds turned out in the freezing rain to welcome their leader.
Hussein, wearing a dark blue suit and a red and white checkered kaffiyeh, fell to his knees and kissed the ground on leaving the aircraft. Several members of the royal family wiped tears from their eyes. The sounds of celebratory gunfire were heard throughout the capital. Jordanian air force jets escorted the aircraft as it entered Jordanian airspace and when they later flew over the capital the crowds roared in delight.
Members of the royal family and around 1,000 government officials, members of parliament, diplomats and other dignitaries greeted the 63-year-old monarch after he landed. Guests included Palestinian President Yasser Arafat, Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh and the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Hamd bin Khalifa Al-Thani.
Despite heavy rain and cold tens of thousands of Jordanians went out into the streets to welcome King Hussein back home (photo: AFP)
Security was tight in the narrow bustling streets of downtown Amman where scouts, students and folk groups twirled swords and danced to the sound of bagpipes and drums. Officials had estimated that a million people would turn out to greet King Hussein. Numbers were much lower, possibly due to the cold and rainy weather.
Preparations for Hussein's return started several days before his scheduled arrival. Amman and other major cities were decorated with lights and banners, and cars were draped in Jordanian flags and pictures of the king, which were being sold on every street corner.
"I am feeling fine," a beaming Hussein told reporters at the airport. It was the king's longest absence from the kingdom in his 46-year-long reign. Officials report that Hussein has recovered fully following chemotherapy and a stem cell transplant at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota.
"Much needs to be done to consolidate the future of Jordan," Hussein said in his statement to reporters. "We have to review what needs to be done to make people feel more comfortable and more confident for the future," he added.
He also praised the efforts of his brother Crown Prince Hassan Ibn Talal who deputised for him and thanked the government for its work during his absence.
Senior political sources have said the king is expected to take crucial decisions in the coming weeks concerning the succession to the throne. One source said the king is expected to revive the Family Council, a consultative body on matters related to the monarchy. The move is seen as a first step in smoothing the way for the succession of Crown Prince Hassan who has been heir to the throne since April 1965.
In his statement, the king also thanked his wife, Queen Nour, saying, "She has been through a lot... and has had to deal with unpleasant surprises." He also expressed gratitude to his brother, Prince Mohamed and his sister, Princess Basma, and to his children, some of whom donated blood. He mentioned Prince Hamzah -- the oldest of the king's four children by Queen Nour -- who is training at Sandhurst Military Academy in Britain. "He is not here today, but he too was by my side," the king said.
Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu was one of the first world leaders to send Hussein congratulations for the monarch's safe return. "All the Israelis feel gratitude for the return of your Majesty's health and strength. We all view your continued contribution as indispensable to the building of a new era of peace, stability and growth in our region," Netanyahu wrote in a letter to King Hussein which was made public by his office.
Two Israeli air force F-16 fighter jets provided an honorary escort for the king as he passed over Israeli airspace on his return home.
Hussein will have a lengthy convalescence in the port city of Aqaba before heading back to the US in March for a final routine check up.
Although Prince Hassan is Hussein's designated heir, there is some controversy in Jordan over the succession. Hassan was made crown prince 33 years ago. At that time Hussein had no other adult children, but now one son carries the rank of general and another is a graduate of Harvard University. The Jordanian constitution allows any of the king's sons over the age of 18 to be appointed as heir.
Jordanian officials on Monday rubbished a report in the Paris-based weekly magazine Al-Watan Al-Arabi which speculated that Prince Hamzah will succeed Hussein as king. According to the report, Hamzah's mother, American-born Queen Nour, has been lobbied by members of the US administration, who favour the younger prince.
One political observer argued that it would be inadvisable to alter the succession at this stage, because Jordanians have already accepted the future shift in power from the king to the crown prince.
