Newsletter No. 484
News-Analysis
January 14, 2007

 

JORDANIAN ROYAL VISIT TO JAPAN

In late December, a rather unheralded visit of the Jordanian royal couple took place. King Abdallah II met with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe at the Kantei on December 22nd. They also dined with the Japanese imperial couple, and had a meeting with former Foreign Minister Nobutaka Machimura, chairman of the Japan-Jordan Parliamentary Friendship Association. There were no reports of any special agreements being reached while the King was in Japan.

Photo: Meeting of King Abdallah II and Shinzo Abe at the Kantei on December 22, 2006.
Source: Kantei

Below is a contribution by Keely Fahoum (Shingetsu Member No. 112) of the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey. First, she presents an article from the Petra News Agency about a speech which the King delivered in Tokyo, and then she offers her own analysis.

KING ABDULLAH DELIVERS SPEECH AT JAPAN INSTITUTE OF INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS

Tokyo, Dec. 22 (Petra) -- His Majesty King Abdullah II said that the Palestinian-Israeli conflict is at the heart of the tension in the Middle East and that the continued failure to find a resolution threatens to aggravate other crises in our region.

His Majesty's remarks came during a speech delivered at Japan Institute of International Affairs JIIA in Tokyo in the presence of Her Majesty Queen Rania Al Abdullah and large number of intellectuals and leaders. King Abdullah stressed that the Palestinian issue is the core of conflict in the Middle East, pointing to the possibility of ending this conflict. The first step is a just settlement of the conflict between Palestinians and Israelis starting from the Arab Peace Initiative of 2002, Israeli withdrawal from all Arab territories occupied since 1967 and a sovereign, viable, and independent Palestine.

The second step, according to King Abdullah, is ensuring sustainable peace, through combining security with vibrant economic growth; a viable Palestinian state must be capable of sustained economic development.

King Abdullah noted to the Japanese role in the Middle East as an economic partner, hailing the Corridor for Peace and Prosperity initiative that is considered as innovative concept of achieving peace in the region and stresses that Japan's role in the region is not only economic, but also political.

His Majesty the King expressed concerns over the conflict in Iraq, stressing the importance of international emphasis on political, economic and diplomatic measures. The King also called to support the Lebanese people as they struggle to retain their unity and sovereignty. "Our region is facing a profound crisis. Its elements are tremendous human suffering, weapons proliferation, and an alarming escalation in the frequency and intensity of crises. Demographics make these trends all the more worrying." King Abdullah said.

As for the Jordanian-Japanese relations, King Abdullah said that the role of the Japanese support for Jordan is very important because it enabled Jordan to carry out improvements in the infrastructure, export capabilities, health care and education. The King also noted to Japan's role in vocational training -- a cornerstone of modern workforce capabilities and other assistance through debt rescheduling and grants. "Japan's support has made an especially critical contribution to Jordan’s wide-ranging reform efforts – political, economic, and social. These will help sustain our development, and enhance our participation in the global economy." King Abdullah noted, adding, "Jordanians are grateful for Japan's unwavering support. Your country helped Jordan keep moving forward in the first Gulf War and now, as Jordan and the world face the impact of our region’s crises" stressing that what Japan is presenting embodies the global leadership. "Like Japan, Jordan is eager to share its success to advance peace, democracy and stability in our region. Responsibility for others is a central teaching of our religion. Islam honors the shared humanity of all people, and explicitly condemns extremism." His Majesty the King said.

Answering questions after the speech, King Abdullah stressed the success of the meeting between US President George W. Bush and Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri Al Maliki in Amman. The King pointed that the world is waiting for signs from the Iraqi side on the new strategy the government will adopt to reach peace, stability and accord amongst all spectra of the Iraqi society.

As for the situation in Lebanon, King Abdullah said that he hopes that the Lebanese government would achieve progress towards solving the crisis in Lebanon, stressing that Lebanon overcame the crisis but this one affected it negatively.

The King also noted to his meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert recently in Amman to discuss ways of pushing the peace process forward and go back to the negotiations table.

Regarding Jordan's stand from the Corridor of Peace and Prosperity Japanese initiative, the King said, "We in Jordan welcome this initiative that has more importance for Palestinians to help them face issues of poverty and unemployment in the West Bank and Gaza Strip." The King added that implementing the corridor of peace project needs political guarantees, embodied in the development in peace process in the region.

Regarding the sectarian violence that started to be touched in the region, King Abdullah said that these forms of violence started to show on the surface because of the regional conflicts that provide a fertile environment for terrorism. The King stressed that Jordan launched the Amman Message to show the true image of Islam and to stress that centrism, moderation and tolerance are from the basic principles of Islam.

King Abdullah stressed the important role of Japan in the Middle East, especially that it gains the respect of the regional countries, pointing that what Japan presented made the life of peoples' moves in a better way. The King added that Jordan looks for wider contribution for the Japanese investments in Jordan and increase the vocational training projects.

Answering a question on the reforms adopted by Jordan, King Abdullah said that there are a number of draft laws presented for the parliament to discuss, such as the political parties law and municipal elections. His Majesty affirmed that going on with political reform would not be achieved without progress in the economic and social developments in addition to achieving the sustainable developments.

ANALYSIS

The previous article encapsulates much of what the current Jordanian-Japanese relationship is centered upon, largely economic and political affairs enjoined in an effort to promote peace and stability within the Levant. Although the wider population of Jordan grapples with building grass root-level economic sustainability, political hurdles still remain, primarily the problem of Palestinian refugees and the ongoing issue of a sovereign and stable Palestinian state. During his visit to Tokyo, King Abdullah touched on several topics germane to the ongoing instability within the larger Middle East. First, he cites the Palestinian-Israeli peace issue as prerequisite before any significant progress towards a broader West Asian Peace Initiative can be attempted. He hit the nail on the head with the idea of sustaining viable economic growth from within a new Palestinian state, although he does not address the minutiae of unfettered transportation between Gaza and the West Bank and the absence of an airport to move goods in and out of the country. Before leaving office, Prime Minister Koizumi recommended a "Peace and Prosperity Corridor" to secure ongoing economic development within an independent and sovereign Palestine. Under the initiative, Japan would work with Israel, Jordan and the Palestinians to develop the West Bank's broken economy, including designing an agro-industrial park (AFP, Dec. 22, 2006). King Abdullah has supported the initiative but was not ready to abandon a political solution in tandem with economic efforts at promoting development within Palestine and Jordan.

King Abdullah has made Japan painfully aware of their dependence on Persian Gulf oil when he commented in his speech, "You [Japan] can't afford instability in our part of the world… You are in a very unique position as a strong member of the international community because you have not involved in politics. Therefore you are considered an honest broker and that is increasingly important" (AFP, Dec. 22, 2006). This was a point that I had made in Shingetsu Newsletter No. 438 in regard to Japan's efforts to become more involved in the Levantine peace process including Syria, Lebanon and Israel; although many are aware of the close ties between Japan and the U.S., Japan remains a more "honest broker" than the U.S., and is in a unique position to help foster security and stability within the Levant.