His Majesty King Abdullah II was interviewed by the London-based Al Hayat Newspaper’s Editor-in-Chief, Ghassan Charbel, on Monday where the King talks about peace, the Israeli occupation and the Palestinian state.
The interview is being published in 2 parts. The first part was published today and the second will be published tomorrow.
To read the full interview click here.
The Royal Court announced yesterday that the King and Queen of Jordan flew to London on Sunday for a working visit to Britain, which is due to last several days.
During the visit His Majesty, accompanied by Queen Rania, will meet with British Prime Minister Gordon Brown. According a Royal Court statement the two leaders will talk about “latest developments in the Middle East, particularly efforts being made to establish peace based on the two-state vision”.
The King is also scheduled to deliver a speech at the British Royal College for Defence Studies. It is the second working visit to UK during this year. The previous visit took place on June 19-22, 2009
Click here to see the images from the LuxAm Cultural Society
Grand Duke Henri and sons Prince Felix, Prince Louis and Prince Sebastien were in the United States early in August on a private visit to witness the dedication of the Luxembourg-America cultural centre with Wisconsin Governor Jim Doyle and wife Jessica Doyle, along with various government officials from both Luxembourg and the USA.
Following the ceremony, the Grand-Ducal family and Governor were given a private tour of the centre and then attended a reception for board members and major donors.
The opening was timed to coincide with Luxembourg Heritage Weekend 2009.
For more information, please see this thread.
King Abdullah II and Queen Rania Al Abdullah are in the United States on a few day visit. On Friday, King Abdullah participated in an economic conference held in US state of Idaho which was attended by Queen Rania and Crown Princes Hussein bin Abdullah. At the conference, King Abdullah talked about the need a two-state solution to end the Palestinian-Israeli conflict and the need to relaunch Palestinian-Israeli negotiations. ” This process guarantees establishment of an independent Palestinian state on national Palestinian soil and ensures security and acceptance for Israel,” the King added.
On the sidelines of the Idaho economic conference, King Abdullah discussed with Colombian leader Alvaro Uribe ways to boost bilateral cooperation ties and Mideast developments.
King Abdullah is on a few days private visit with Queen Rania to the United States. So far, the economic conference was the only event on the agenda.
After writing yesterday that Jordan’s King Abdullah was serious about finding a solution to the Israeli – Palestinian conflict, I was disappointed today to read that King Abdullah is putting the onus on the USA to head a solution to the conflict.
King Abdullah, in speaking with US President Barack Obama today, told the US President that the US must take a more forceful role in spurring the peace process. What this blogger does not understand is why King Abdullah is turning to the US to help solve a problem in his backyard. It would seem that he would be far better equipped to deal with and understand the conflict than the leader of a nation stretched to the breaking point with other problems. Not to get too political, but it would stand to reason that instead of turning to those that might not understand the why’s and reasons behind the conflict enough to make an educated decision, those that do understand should be at the head of any peace process.
While the USA might understand the political reasons behind the conflict, at least to some degree, I doubt that they can truly understand the importance of the land in the middle of the dispute as well as those that live in and around the region. Given that King Abdullah’s wife is of Palestinian descent, he should have a unique outlook on the situation. King Abdullah seems to desire peace, and hopefully he will be at the forefront of any peace process that could possibly come about.
Click to see the article at the Jordan Times
HM King Abdullah is in Belgium this week, meeting with the heads of NATO in the hopes of finally finding a solution to the never ending Israeli – Palestinian Conflict. As head of the most forward thinking nation in the region, and one of the most respected and well known Heads of State in the Arab world, King Abdullah is serious about finding a peaceful solution to the conflict.
Not only in Europe to discuss unpleasant matters, King Abdullah is also planning on discussing the economic and commercial ties between Jordan and various European Nations. With the current economic situation taking it’s toll on most if not all of Europe, new and improved commercial and economic partnerships would be a benefit to both countries. And as an absolute Monarch, King Abdullah has a lot to say about where and how his country’s money and natural resources are dispersed.
King Abdullah and his wife, Queen Rania, have a very modern and open outlook on life and society, as can be seen in their daily activities and personal relationship. As leader of one of only two Arab nations to make peace with Israel, this open nature has fostered itself well in a very disturbed region.
Without doubt, other matters, far more political and sensitive in nature, will be discussed during this visit. One can only hope that something substantial finally comes of these meetings, rather than the usual round of handshakes, signed papers, and promises. Peace can be found in Jordan, so it would seem that if anyone could foster peace in a war-torn region, it might be King Abdullah.
On Friday, Her Majesty Queen Rania visited the LEAP Academy in Washington, DC to learn how the “Knowledge is Power Programme”. The KIPP programme has helped children make significant academic gains and reach the highest test scores of any public school network in the US.Queen Rania was briefed by KIPP DC Executive Director Susan Schaeffler. Queen Rania toured the school and meet with teachers. Her Majesty also meet with a few students and talked to them about her meeting with US First Lady Michelle Obama.
Click to view image on daylife.com
Queen Rania of Jordan used a jar of jam to explain her points at the 8th Annual Global Philanthropy Forum Conference while giving the keynote address at the event. Queen Rania stressed the importance of the forum. Queen Rania used the jam jar to illustrate a story of a 9 year old girl.
Investors and social people from around the world are attending the conference to discuss global challenges, poverty and climate changes.
King Abdullah and Queen Rania are currently on a working visit to the United States.
Click on image to view at daylife.com
His Majesty King Abdullah of Jordan and Her Majesty Queen Rania meet with Nancy Pelosi, Speaker of the US House of Representatives. King Abdullah and Nancy held talks discussing bilateral relations, especially in the economic field.
After the meeting, King Abdullah and Pelosi held a press conference with the King saying “We are ready to shoulder our responsibilities,” adding that the US has shouldered heavy burdens for many years. Pelosi stressed the strategic importance of the US’ ties with Jordan and its historic role in promoting peace and stability in the Middle East.
Queen Rania attended the press conference and the meeting. The Jordanian King and Queen are currently on a working visit to the United States. For more informaton, discussion & pictures, visit this thread.
Click to view image on yahoo news
His Majesty King Abdullah and US President Barack Obama held talks on Tuesday at the oval office in the white house. The two leaders discussed about a comprehensive peace in the Middle East and resolve the Palestinian-Israeli conflict on the basis of the two-state solution. King Abdullah and Obama underlined the need to continue coordination and consultation at the highest levels to support efforts to move forward towards peace with all involved parties and agreed on the need to take effective steps to end the conflict to bring peace in the region.
“We are both committed to bringing peace and stability to our part of the world. The president again reaffirmed the need for a two-state solution and to move both parties to good negotiations as quickly as possible,” the Monarch said.
This is the first meeting for Obama with an Arab leader.
King Abdullah is currently on a working visit to the United States with Queen Rania.
Read more about the meeting on Jordan Times and for a discussion, news and pictures, visit the thread here.
