Jordanian king calls for U.S. help resolving Middle East conflict

The Associated Press Published: February 29, 2008

PRINCETON, New Jersey: Jordan’s King Abdullah II warned Friday that unless a comprehensive Israeli-Palestinian agreement is reached during the Bush administration’s final months in office, the chances for a lasting Middle East peace could be “set back, perhaps for decades.”

“We are in the best possible position to resolve 60 years of conflict between Israel and Palestine,” Abdullah told an audience at Princeton University’s Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs. “The Arab and Muslim states have committed to an unprecedented and unanimous peace initiative. …”

“But time is running out and we need the United States of America completely involved, to influence the course of discussions, monitor progress, and help bridge the gaps to ensure a final agreement by the end of 2008.

After his speech, Abdullah took questions from the audience. He cautioned that if a peace deal is not reached before President George W. Bush leaves office in January 2009, “it will be two or three years before a new American president will be willing to look at the Middle East.”

Abdullah, who was to meet with Bush on Tuesday at the White House, stressed that the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is as a catalyst for radicalism and instability elsewhere in the region and beyond.
“If we fail to take the necessary steps to resolve the core problems of the region, it will become significantly harder for the countries of the Middle East to work in partnership with America in the future,” he said. “I fear radical ideologies will determine the political and social agendas in many of our countries.”

By agreeing soon to allow a Palestinian state, Israel could quickly gain diplomatic and trade relationships with 57 countries that now refuse to deal with the Jewish state.

“Israel’s security cannot depend indefinitely on occupation, walls and the Israeli military,” he said. “Real security for Israel will occur when it is a neighbor among neighbors …”

While Israel and Palestinian leaders might agree on most issues, there are some that the international community - and especially the United States - will need to help resolve, he said.

“If we miss today’s opportunities, peace will be set back, perhaps for decades,” he said. “Extremists will continue to act. The forces for moderation and positive change will weaken. Global divisions will not only endure but also possibly deepen.”…continued

Source and full article: International Herald Tribune