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Al-Ahram Weekly 10 - 16 February 2000 Issue No. 468 
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Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Al-Ahram Weekly 10 - 16 February 2000 Issue No. 468
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| Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Egypt Region International Economy Opinion Culture Features Focus Profile Travel Books Sports People Time Out Chronicles Cartoons Letters Abdullah's style
By Lola KeilaniOnly a year ago the late King Hussein of Jordan shocked the world by appointing his elder son, then Prince Abdullah, as crown prince, thereby relieving his brother, Prince Hassan, of the title he held for 34 years. Since then, King Abdullah, who at age 37 is the youngest monarch in the Arab world, has done much to establish himself politically in the Hashemite Kingdom. He has fired and hired officials, improved ties with neighbouring Arab states, and began to tackle the country's economic problems.
Unlike his father, who out of necessity dedicated most of his energy to the Arab-Israeli issue, Abdullah has made Jordan's economy his top priority. It is towards this end that he has directed much of his energy on both the domestic and international fronts.
In the months following his father's death, the new king often stated that his goal was the cancellation of Jordan's entire $7.5 billion external debt.
Travelling throughout the world -- to North America, Europe and Asia -- Abdullah lobbied Jordan's creditors to write off the country's debt. But in terms of securing external financial support, little has been achieved since Hussein's death.
On the debt front, the Paris Club decided in May to reschedule Jordan's debts owed to its members (primarily Japan, Germany and France). These countries rescheduled not only payment of the principals but also the interest due, to be spread over a longer term and with longer grace periods. Nevertheless, more than half of Jordan's external debt is owed to multilateral agencies such as the World Bank and International Monetary Fund, which are prevented under their regulations from forgiving even a portion of a debt.
The only aid extended by an Arab country to Jordan during this period was $200 million, deposited in its Central Bank by the United Arab Emirates and the Arab Monetary Fund to increase foreign currency reserves. This grant increases Jordan's capacity to finance imports as it may withdraw from it at any time.
King Abdullah II and Crown Prince Hamza pray on the tomb of their father late King Hussein on the first anniversary of his death (photo: AP)
So far, the results of Abdullah's efforts are mixed. On the one hand, relative to the size of the debt, little relief has been offered, few international investors have arrived and unemployment remains dangerously high.
"It is too early to judge," said Musa Zaid, a political analyst. "During the first year, Abdullah needed to establish his image as a king and prove who controls the decision-making process, and where the power actually lies. The economic situation is bound to improve following the public relations campaign the king has been carrying out," he said. "There is always a time lag between implementing reforms and reaping their benefits."
Abdullah has worked hard to obtain international debt relief, create an investment-friendly environment, reform commercial legislation, eradicate nepotism and eliminate unnecessary delays due to bureaucracy. Towards improving the efficiency of the bureaucracy, Abdullah formed a council made up of 20 young representatives from the public and private sectors. Called the Economic Consultative Council and chaired by the king, its mandate is to monitor the implementation of the government's socio-economic, administrative, and educational reforms.
Similarly, Abdullah has tried to inject new blood into the cabinet by appointing technocrats to ministries that have key accountabilities in the economic arena.
On the Arab level, his greatest achievement, as Jordanians see it, was patching up relations with Jordan's northern neighbor, Syria. Relations between the two countries reached their lowest point following the conclusion of a peace treaty between Jordan and Israel in 1994.
Meanwhile, the region's youngest king disproved sceptics expectations: while maintaining the warm ties with Israel and the West nurtured by his late father, he succeeded in improving relations with Syria and developing those with Saudi Arabia and Kuwait.
Ties with Israel have received a boost with the visit by Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak to Amman on Sunday for a five-hour closed session with the king. Abdullah is expected to reciprocate by making his first official visit to Israel very soon, according to official Jordanian sources.
Yet, the litmus test for the king is to find a new formula to ensure the cohesiveness and loyalty of his Jordanian-Palestinian people -- a challenge that is heightened by anticipation of the establishment of a Palestinian state. Abdullah's decision late last year to deport to Qatar four leaders of the Palestinian Islamic resistance movement, Hamas, who hold Jordanian nationalities was indeed a troubling sign for some Palestinians who have lived in Jordan for decades.
Although King Abdullah faces the considerable challenge of working in the shadow of his father's legacy and perhaps being assessed on this basis, it is certainly too early to judge his performance. Thus far he has shown himself to be a straightforward, hard-working head of state, with a strong will to face head-on Jordan's economic and political challenges.
