Jordan and Iraq

Jordan, along with other Arab countries, believes that Iraq must fully and unconditionally comply with all UN resolutions. Jordan hopes and works for the aversion of unilateral Military action against Iraq owing to the fact that it believes that such action would only add to the instability and turmoil in the region. The Middle East cannot risk a political meltdown in Iraq, a major regional player.

Jordan has always adhered to the principled position that all Security Council Resolutions ought to be fully respected and implemented by all Member States of the United Nations in accordance with the duty imposed by the United Nations' Charter in Article 25 on member States to do so. Jordan views the adoption of Resolution 1441 in this context and against this obligation and conviction. Thus, Jordan believes that, this resolution like all other preceding resolutions adopted in the context of the situation in Iraq, should be fully respected and implemented. Jordan hopes that the strict implementation of this Resolution would de-escalate the tension in the region and, hopefully lead to the aversion of any military action that would inevitably have negative repercussions not only for the People of Iraq but also for the entire Middle East region.

His Majesty King Abdullah II, said in an interview with the Jordan Petra News Agency on January 13th, 2003, that “that Jordan sees a solution to the crisis through UN efforts and Iraq's full compliance with relevant international resolutions.”

Jordan also believes in the primacy of solving problems in the region by peaceful and diplomatic means and through international legitimacy. The region cannot afford further crisis and any military action against Iraq could cause tremendous human suffering and civilian casualties.

Jordan rejects military intervention or action against not only Iraq but also against any other Arab state, stressing the importance of safeguarding the territorial integrity, unity, cohesion and sovereignty of Iraq on all its national soil.

On December 28th, 2002 in remarks to reporters, His Excellency The Foreign Minister stated that, “We again insist on Iraq's territorial integrity. Iraq should not be divided and we are against any intervention or its breakup into state-lets.”

Furthermore, Jordan calls for the lifting of economic sanctions imposed on Iraq to end the suffering of its people, and heeds the Iraqi leadership to comply with U.N. Security Council (UNSC) resolutions and international law so that the right conditions for initiating the process of easing and ultimately lifting sanctions can be initiated. Jordan also calls for the settlement of the situation between Iraq and Kuwait on the basis of UNSC resolutions. Accordingly, Iraq should cooperate, comply and implement all relevant UNSC resolutions including those dealing with Kuwaiti and other prisoners of war and missing persons.

Official Statements Made in Relation to the Official Jordanian Position on Iraq:

In his WEF opening remarks at the Dead Sea on June 21st, 2003, His Majesty King Abdullah II said that “The need is urgent... fueling the engines of growth and development... and promoting the reconstruction of Iraq, a reconstruction that respects the rights of its people to determine their own future.” - (see full text)

During the annual conference of the International Labor Organization (ILO) in Geneva on June 12th, 2003, His Majesty King Abdullah II said that “Our region sits at a critical crossroads. The credibility, not merely of our own countries, but of the international community, is at stake. Now is the time to work together, to put our full force behind the process that will lead to the hand-over of Iraq to a credible Iraqi government, representing all Iraqis. And now is the time to achieve a just and comprehensive peace in the Middle East.” - (see full text)

In his address at the mid-term Conference of the Foreign Ministers of the Euro-Mediterranean Partnership on May 26th, 2003, Foreign Minister Marwan Muasher said, “Jordan is of the view that a credible and a legitimate Iraqi Government can only be the result of free and fair elections, which would eventually lead to a governing body representative of all shades of the Iraqi political spectrum.”
He added that “We believe that the international community and the United Nations should have a pivotal and central role in Iraq, including active political participation in the next phase that transcends the humanitarian aspect... ” - (see full text)

His Majesty King Abdullah in his address to the nation on May 25th, 2003 on the occasion of Independence Day, said that “We will do our utmost to ensure its territorial integrity, as well as the dear Iraqi brethren sovereignty over their entire lands, their right to choose their own independent leadership and future, and the return to their normal status in their Arab ambience.” - (see full text)

During a press conference with US Secretary of State Colin Powell in Amman on May 13th, 2003, Foreign Minister Marwan Muasher said, “We believe, in Jordan, that we need to have a smooth and quick transition to a credible Iraqi government.” - (see full text)

In remarks at The Center For Strategic And International Studies in Washington on April 29th, 2003, Foreign Minister Marwan Muasher said, "The international community's role cannot be limited to a humanitarian one. We have a political role to play. I think it is in the interests of the region and the interests of the U.S. for countries of the region to play - to help play a political role." - (see full text)

On April 28th, 2003, Foreign Minister Marwan Muasher told CNN's Wolf Blitzer that “The question now is how to reconstruct Iraq in a way that would make it democratic, that would make it friendly with its neighbors, and that would have the Iraqis determine their own future.” - (see full text)

During a press conference with U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell in Washington on April 28th, 2003, Foreign Minister Marwan Muasher said, “We [Jordan] emphasized the need to start a political process in Iraq that would lead to the formation of a credible and representative Iraqi government so we can get on with the process of rebuilding Iraq, and the withdrawal of all foreign troops from Iraq.” - (see full text)

During an interview with CNN's Christiane Amanpour on April 27th, 2003, His Majesty King Abdullah said, “We're all a bit disappointed that things have not moved as quickly as they should have [the set up of an interim governing body and security on the ground.]"
His Majesty added that ”Iraq will be one of the main centers of gravity in the future of the Middle East. And so a capable, talented, strong nation moving in the right direction, I think, will be a comfort to all of us in the area. So we have a lot of hope for the future of Iraq and a prosperous Iraq will be a prosperous region for all of us.” - (see full text)

During an interview with NBC's Meet The Press on April 27th, 2003, Foreign Minister Marwan Muasher said, “I think there is a strong need for the U.S. to involve the international community in its efforts to rebuild Iraq.”
He added “What we need to do is an evolution and an orderly process where we ensure that all sectors of society in Iraq are represented in the Iraqi government.” - (see full text)

In a New York Times editorial, published on April 26th, 2003, Foreign Minister Marwan Muasher writes, "It's important to remember that expecting the seeds of democracy to blossom overnight is a simplistic assumption at best, and a dangerous one at worst. Force-feeding democracy will lead not to reform but to radicalization. A wiser approach would be to respect the ability of Arab countries to take matters into their own hands. The Arab world is ready to do this."
Muasher adds that "the United States has responsibilities in Iraq... Moreover, those in the United States who call for rearranging the region would do well to stop such talk. They are alienating Arabs and jeopardizing the efforts of genuine reformers, who now cannot advocate democracy without being accused of doing America's bidding." - (see full text)

In an interview with Petra News Agency on April 2nd, 2003, His Majesty King Abdullah said, “Since day one of the war, we have spared no effort in expressing our rejection of it. Our moves and contacts with Arab brethren and some friendly countries continued in order to try to crystallize a position that would lead to a halt of the war on Iraq as soon as possible. We will not cease our efforts to halt this war and to explore means that guarantee helping the Iraqi people.
His Majesty added that “The Iraqi people are the only people that have the right to choose their leadership. Because we believe in democracy and the right of peoples to choose their leadership, we cannot imagine that people would accept the outside imposition of a leadership against their will. I have always stressed that dialogue is the right path for resolving problems and that resorting to violence will only breed violence and extremism.
- (see full text)

During an interview with PBS on April 1st, 2003, Foreign Minister Marwan Muasher said that “Democracy, as the United States is very well aware of, is an evolutionary process... So I don't think that anybody is expecting democracy, full democracy to suddenly occur in the region. I think if one keeps insisting on that, what you will see is full radicalization of the region rather than full democracy.”
Planning Minister, Bassem Awadallah added that “When you speak about Iraq, immediately people mention Palestine. Immediately. That is the reaction; they cannot separate the two issues.” - (see full text)

During an interview with CNNs Larry King Live on March 27th, 2003, Foreign Minister Dr. Marwan Muasher said that "and now that the war has started, our principal objective is to make sure that it ends at the soonest possible time with the minimum of casualties. The longer the war takes, the more frustrated people in this region are." - (see full text)

In an address to the Jordanian people on March 21st, 2003 His Majesty King Abdullah II said, "We will work with all possible means to halt this war as soon as possible in order to ease the suffering of our brethren in Iraq and help them overcome the ramifications of war and to ensure the territorial integrity and cohesion of Iraqi territories." - (see full text)

In his address to the Arab Summit in Sharm El Sheikh on March 1st, 2003, His Majesty King Abdullah said, “We face today a case that warns of an imminent war on Iraq. Our Iraqi brethren will not alone suffer the effects and destruction of any such war. The whole region will.” “And Jordan today stresses further the danger of this situation and warns, if the war were to erupt, of the possibility of dividing Iraq.” - (see full text)

On February 24th, 2003, His Majesty King Abdullah, in a speech delivered on his behalf by HRH Prince Faisal at the opening session of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) conference in Kuala Lumpur, said "The situation in Iraq is another great challenge. Iraq is an important member of the Movement as well as the League of Arab States. The crisis unfolding there has dire consequences for the world.
Peace, not war, is what is needed in the Middle East. Talk of war only diverts us from concentrating our efforts on the important fight against international terror. That fight is a continuous process, and one that needs the full attention and cooperation of our nations."
- (see full text)

Foreign Minister Dr. Marwan Muasher reiterated Jordan's view and position on the situation in Iraq in an interview with Fox News in December 2002 by saying “I think the Arab states have made their position clear, which is that the only way to avert a strike is for Iraq to cooperate fully and unconditionally with the latest U.N. Resolution 1441, as well as with earlier resolutions.” - (see full text)

The Foreign Minister outlined Jordan's position on the settlement of the situation between Iraq and Kuwait on the basis of UNSC resolutions, in His speech before the United Nation's General Assembly's 57th session on September 15th, 2002 by saying that “Jordan believes that the most appropriate means of resolving the outstanding matters between the United Nations and Iraq is to ensure the immediate and full implementation of all relevant Security Council resolutions, including those relating to Kuwaiti prisoners and missing persons as well as to the return of the weapons inspectors.” - (see full text)