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Al-Ahram Weekly 3 - 9 June 1999 Issue No. 432 
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Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Al-Ahram Weekly 3 - 9 June 1999 Issue No. 432
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| Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Egypt Region International Economy Opinion Culture Profile Interview Travel Sports People Time Out Chronicles Cartoons Letters Not far from the tree
By Salama Ahmed Salama
King Abdullah's first visit to Egypt after his father's death was little more than a brief introductory meeting; the second, in contrast, came in response to Egypt's suggestion that the Arabs gather to search for common ground and discuss ways of resuming the peace process, if it is ever to be revived. When I visited Jordan last week, however, Arab-Israeli relations were not the main issues of concern to the Jordanian public. I found public concern focused on the young monarch's ability to bring economic and political stability to his country, to lead it through the storms threatening the region, and to reshape King Hussein's long historical legacy, which defined Jordan's international relations for decades.
Jordanians are also thinking about the complex domestic problems they face, including the unique make-up of Jordan's people, and the repercussions of the events that brought King Abdullah to the throne, replacing his uncle, Prince Hassan, at the last critical moments of King Hussein's life. In such circumstances, conversation is understandably dominated by internal conflicts, the antagonism between the centres of power surrounding the king, and the race among his senior advisers and high ranking officials to secure his attention.
The king's performance is also being discussed, and speculation as to how the late king would have acted in similar circumstances is a favourite pastime. People highlight differences and similarities, in the belief that "the fruit never falls too far from the tree". Fears that a power vacuum would be created by the king's inexperience are being dispelled. Popular and political approval of the king's performance at the domestic and international levels is apparent. Abdullah has been able to contain reactions to the crisis occasioned by the removal of Prince Hassan from the throne, and has succeeded in maintaining warm relations with his uncle and reconciling members of the royal family, fully aware that, in such a small country, a conflict for power would be unimaginable.
For all these reasons, the young king visited Arab and Western capitals to reassure the world that Jordan's foreign policies would not undergo any sudden shifts under his rule. He asserted that, at the domestic level, he would focus on economic reform and democracy.
In pursuit of these objectives, the new king has seized the opportunity to improve relations with numerous Arab countries, but especially Syria, and to win the support of Saudi Arabia and the Gulf states. He is exerting remarkable efforts in this regard. He has already visited Libya and is expected to travel to Tunisia and Algeria before going on to France on his present tour. Meanwhile, growing evidence that he has been promised the rescheduling of Jordan's debts by the Paris Club has won the king greater popularity, and confidence in his capabilities at the international level.
Within this context, Jordan cannot be contemplating unilateral initiatives on its own which could distance it from Arab consensus, as it has tended to do in the past. On the contrary, Jordan was one of the first Arab countries to express strong enthusiasm for an Arab summit, an initiative for which Egypt has been mobilising support.
Jordanian analysts and policy-makers have been warning against Israel's return to a track by track approach, which in the past tempted the Arabs to normalise relations in return for nothing. Jordan has been taking Israeli promises with a grain of salt since Israel unilaterally decided to reduce Jordan's share of the waters of Lake Tiberius, in violation of the provisions of the Tiberius Valley Agreement.
Arab rapprochement is due to stir alarm in Israel. But it is certainly a stabilising factor for Jordan, and will further reinforce the king's popularity.
