Last argument of the king: war against Iraq can annihilate the whole Middle East

Jordanian king Abdluallah II has warned the Bush administration that war against Iraq could turn out an Armageddon for the whole Middle East. A well planned operation, being successfully started, could very fast take a non-controlled course, the Jordanian king supposes. The military action in Iraq can grow into a civil war, while neighbour countries will be implicated in it. Tides of the regional conflict will reach Europe and America. The Abduallah II interview he gave after arriving in California became the first one after his meeting with Dick Cheney. From all what Jordan monarch said, a conclusion could be made that during his tour over the Middle East Mr Cheney had managed to seriously frightened local leaders. However the Vice President seems not to have told fairy-tails of The Thousand and One Night, but he familiarized them with plans of the US administration on the world order’s reorganization. The Middle-Eastern countries have realized, how it will look in practice: as the anti-Husain operation starts, “nights” will become too bright and too short. “This is a very dangerous way, - the king said. – If we fight against terrorism, we should not admit to instability in this region.” The very straight and clear warning which was pronounced by the US ally became at the same time the most sinister prediction of what could happen in case of US aggression against Iraq. Any way, the word “Armageddon” is well known to Americans, at least through films. It is not by chance, that the king used namely this word. It will probably make the United States one more time measure off before it will start to cut off Iraq from the rest of the world. Los Angeles Times newspaper called the 40-year-old Jordanian monarch the symbol of Middle-Eastern leaders’ new generation and pragmatist, who builds a bridge between two cultures. Though as for Iraq, he sees no political space for a compromise. “Armageddon could happen,” – this is not only Abuduallah II’s position, but that one of most of Arab leaders, Los Angeles Times writes. “A strike on Iraq, probable breakdown of this country, horror of the possible civil war – I do not think the region can manage with it,” – Abduallah II supposes. Arab leaders remember very well a series of conspiracies and coups in Bagdad before Saddam Husain came to power. Iraq’s neighbours are afraid of instability in the region. “As you step on the way of violence, it is hard to control. If the region blows up, Europe and the West will be implicated in this outburst,” – the Jordanian king warned US hawks. He also denied an opinion broadly spread in Western mass media that Arab leaders while saying one thing in public, secretly support US position on Iraq. “As for Iraq, most of Arab leaders openly and honestly declare that they are concerned with possible consequences of the US offence on Iraq. The issue could be settled through dialogue.” Afghan model of “successful war” will not work in Iraq, the Jordanian leader supposes. The seize of this country, its strategic situation, oil reserves, numerous ethnic and religious groups cause a complex of more involved issues, than in Afghanistan. Jordan did not participate in 1991 war for Kuwait’s liberation from Iraqi occupation. Though, in the middle 1990s, Jordanian king Husain unexpectedly harshly opposed the Bagdad leader and permitted to Iraqi dissidents to settle in Amman. Now, 250 thousand Iraqi refugees live in Jordan. Jordan seriously depends on cheap Iraqi oil. In case of war, the source could run short, so Jordan could loose up to 500 million dollars a year. As for Arab-Israeli conflict, the king of Jordan rather optimistically views on prospects of the settlement. According to him, the League of Arab States will still support Saudi Arabia’s proposition to recognize Israel in exchange for its withdrawal from the occupied territories. “Even Iraq will not oppose to it,” – Abdullah II said. He made by the way one more sad prediction. The main danger, according to him, comes now not from Arab world, as they suppose in the West, but from Asia. Arab language is not native for most of people there, so bin Laden’s people could interpret Koran for their benefit.

Sergei Borisov PRAVDA.Ru

Translated by Vera Solovieva

Read the original in Russian: http://www.pravda.ru/main/2002/03/20/38527.html