Interview with

King Abdullah bin al Hussein,
King of Jordan

at
National Press Club, Washington, DC

Excerpts

April 11, 2001

Jordan and the Middle East

. . .

MR. RYAN: This question notes that -- Israel and Iraq, if they were to have a military confrontation, what would Jordan's position be?

KING ABDULLAH: There's an old joke that Jordan's between Iraq and a hard place. (Laughter.) That's probably the best way of describing that problem. (Applause.)

MR. RYAN: Talking a little bit about Iraq and the sanctions -- I know that's something that you feel very deeply about -- did you speak with President Bush about that? And what do you think might be the result for the sanction question?

KING ABDULLAH: Well, sir, there is -- again, at the Arab summit, there was a great sense, a feeling, between the Arab countries that we need to find a mechanism that relieves the suffering of Iraq and Iraqi people. And we had hoped to resolve that issue at the Arab summit.

In our discussions, again, with our colleagues here, I think there is a genuine attempt to try and solve the problem.

And the American administration is working on a policy now that has a more open-minded approach to try and tackle the problem of the tremendous, deplorable state of living that the Iraqis are going through at this stage. We will see, I presume, the policy come out in the very near future.

But I think the hearts are in the right places to try and find a solution as quickly as possible.

MR. RYAN: Do you expect the Bush administration to strongly back the Iraqi opposition in pursuing a change in Iraq, and do you support such a strategy?

KING ABDULLAH: Again, Jordan from day one has always -- and this is something that we all learned from His late Majesty, King Hussein -- Jordan has never been interested in getting itself involved in other people's issues. When it comes to the opposition, I don't see -- I don't agree with the weight that has been put to it. It surprises me that such a weight has been put towards the opposition, and that there is an attitude that they're a solution. I don't think they are, particularly. That's my own personal opinion.

. . .

MR. RYAN: Would you describe, please, for our audience what your relationship is with Saddam Hussein?

KING ABDULLAH: President Saddam I had -- obviously, during the Iraq-Iran war, where, if you remember history correctly, the West was supporting the Iraqis in that fight, I had as a young officer several occasions to go over and take a look at how the campaign was going, and at a distance, in the presence of His late Majesty, I had the time to meet him. Since the late '80s -- I think '88 was probably the last time that I had an opportunity to see the man, but again, from a distance.