King Abdullah concludes United States visit

His Majesty King Abdullah returned home Friday after concluding a visit to the US where he headed Jordan’s delegation to the 66th session of United Nations General Assembly in New York. The King also had an array of meetings and activities including delivering two speeches at IBM company and Columbia University. During his addresses and talks with leading world figures and leaders, His Majesty focused on the need for world justice to the Middle East, outlined Jordan’s reforms and focused on the Middle East transformations triggered by the Arab Spring. At the World Leaders Forum at Columbia University, His Majesty reiterated that his commitment to reform has been unwavering. “We have seen some real successes, but we have also witnessed resistance and inertia. The outcomes have not always been what we wanted,” he said. The King highlighted the partnership between Jordan and the university in the field of research and development. The university’s leadership, he said, “worked closely with my wife, Rania, to establish the outstanding new Middle East Research Centre in Amman. Scholars and students are collaborating with Jordanian academics in forward-leaning initiatives. Columbia graduates are working in vital sectors across the country. These partnerships are absolutely essential in building bridges of understanding between your country and mine”. In his address at the UN last week, His Majesty asserted that the Arab Spring is an opportunity to institutionalise the drive for reform in the country and the region. “We believe that the Arab Spring can be an opportunity to institutionalise positive change, change that is necessary for a strong, secure, prosperous future.” He also stressed Jordan’s continued support for the Palestinians’ right to an independent and viable state that lives side by side with a secure and accepted Israel. “We will continue to strongly support the inalienable right of the Palestinian people to statehood in fulfillment of their aspirations and in accordance with UN resolutions, and within a comprehensive and just settlement and the resolution of all final status issues,” he said in his address. In an interview with the Wall Street Journal’s Jay Solomon during the visit, King Abdullah also warned that if the Israelis and Palestinians do not achieve just and comprehensive peace, it will have a very negative impact on the entire region. In an interview with US National Public Radio, King Abdullah said Jordan seeks to become a model of democracy in the Arab world, noting that this is built through strengthening the middle class, increasing its participation in political and economic life and bolstering its role in the democratic process. During his working visit, the King also attended IBM Centennial “THINK” Forum, where he delivered a speech that focused on the need to empower youth to become leaders, especially in the Middle East. The King also acquainted his audience at the ICT giant’s ceremony with reforms under way in Jordan, a major part of which is educational reform, through market-oriented skills training. On the sidelines of the UN session, King Abdullah met with presidents of several international organisations, and heads of state and delegations participating in the UN meetings, during which he discussed developments in the Arab countries and the region. The King examined means to achieve peace between the Palestinians and Israelis on the basis of the two-state solution and the efforts required from the international community in this regard.