Federal system recipe for Iraq breakup - King Abdullah (of Jordan)

''The Americans are pushing ahead with their project in Iraq. They can't leave without a strong Iraqi government and authority being formed, chosen by the Iraqi people,'' the pro-American king said.

He also said postwar Iraq has turned into a stronghold for terrorist organisations which found a haven there after they felt they had been surrounded in other countries.

Asked about the possibility of a return of the monarchy to Iraq, he said: ''Many Iraqi dignitaries and delegations have come to Jordan presenting this issue to me ... and my answer was always that we will not interfere with the will of the Iraqi people.''

Jordan's Prince Hassan, King Abdullah's uncle, has dismissed media reports that he himself had ambitions to rule in Iraq. The Iraqi army overthrew Iraq's Hashemite monarchy led by Hassan's cousin, King Faisal, in 1958. Saddam Hussein came to power in 1968.

Sharif Ali bin Hussein, a member of Iraq's former royal house, returned to Baghdad after Saddam's toppling this year in a U.S.-led war, and is promoting the return of the monarchy.

The rest of the story...?

Al-Rai al-Aam: King Abdullah: Federation based on sectarianism and religion will partition Iraq
Jordan-Iraq, Politics, 11/12/2003
The Jordanian king Abdullah II who started yesterday an official visit to Kuwait said that he fears that the federal system in Iraq is a prescription for dividing the country.

The king told the Kuwaiti daily al-Rai al-Aam that the American forces cannot leave Iraq before completing the mission of supervising the formation of an elected government. When asked if a federal system in Iraq will divide the country, the Jordanian king expressed his fears that "embarking on a federal system will be the way to divide the country if it is built on ethnic and sectarian basis."

The king said that the Americans are proceeding in their project in Iraq and cannot get out of this country without forming a strong government and authority chosen by the people. He said that post-war Iraq has become a center for terrorist organization which found in it a safe haven there after they felt world countries that are besieging them.

Asked about the possibility of the return of the royal regime to Iraq, he said that several Iraqi figures and delegation proposed to him the idea of the return back of monarchy to Iraq, but he stressed that Jordan will not interfere into the will of the people of Iraq "who have the right whether they want the rule to be a monarch or republican." Kuwait's Amir Sheikh Jaber al-Ahmad al-Jaber al-Sabah received King Abdullah and discussed with him bilateral relations and the situation in the region.
ArabicNews.com - November 12th, 2003

Jordan's Prince Hassan, King Abdullah's uncle, has dismissed media reports that he himself had ambitions to rule in Iraq.

Reminds of that scene in the movie where...

LAWRENCE: I've told them that that's false: that we've no ambitions in Arabia, have we?

ALLENBY: I'm not a politician, thank God. Have we any ambition in Arabia, Dryden?

DRYDEN: Difficult question, sir.

LAWRENCE: I want to know, sir, if I can tell them in your name that we have no ambitions in Arabia.

ALLENBY: Certainly.

***

The king claims to be "pro choice":

JORDAN TIMES

King reiterates Jordan's support for Iraqis' right to choose

KUWAIT (JT) — His Majesty King Abdullah reiterated that Jordan does not intend to interfere in the choices before the Iraqi people, who, he said, had the absolute right to decide if they want a monarchy or a republic.

“We will support the Iraqis' choice and the decisions they make for their future,” the King told the Kuwaiti daily, Al Rai Al Aam, as quoted by the Jordan News Agency, Petra, on Monday.

Meanwhile, King Abdullah voiced concern over a reported proposal to adopt a federal system in Iraq saying he fears that such a system “would lead to division on a sectarian and ethnic basis.” He said such a proposal, which is not new, has been perceived by the world as “a tool for division, and therefore it was disregarded.”

The interview, which is due to appear today, was conducted by the daily's deputy chief editor Yousef Jalahmeh and columnist Kheirallah Kheirallah.

Asked if Jordan intends to mediate with the US to persuade it to drop the Syrian Accountability Act enacted recently by the US Congress, the King said Jordan rejects the targeting of Syria and voiced hope that Damascus and Washington would find a way “to remove impediments marring their relations.”

The long-proposed law seeks to impose further economic and political sanctions against Syria for its alleged support for terrorism, and to ensure it ends its occupation of Lebanon, stops its development of weapons of mass destruction, ceases its illegal importation of Iraqi oil, and also “hold Syria accountable for its role in the Middle East, and for other purposes,” according to the text of the act.

Commenting on “short-lived governments” in Jordan, the Monarch said: “When we realise our vision of having powerful political parties with national socio-economic platforms, governments will definitely live longer, because they will then stem from solid parties and political blocs.”

King Abdullah described the attack in the Saudi Arabian capital, Riyadh, as an “inhuman and terrorist act.” He emphasised that such crimes and their perpetrators harm the image of Islam and Muslims, regardless of the justifications given and the slogans raised by terrorists.

The King, on Sunday, had a telephone conversation with Saudi Crown Prince Abdullah Ben Abdul Aziz, in which he strongly condemned the devastating suicide bomb attack in Riyadh that killed at least 17 people and wounded some 120 others, including eight Jordanians.

He urged joint Arab efforts and increased coordination in the fight against terrorism, which he said “has become one of the major challenges that faces us and threatens the security and stability of [Arab] countries.”

Asked about his vision for improved joint Arab action and cooperation, King Abdullah called for building an Arab economic entity after the EU style, saying that such a scheme is likely to help improve pan-Arab ties.

Tuesday, November 11, 2003

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.