King Abdullah II of Jordan said Monday that America would have a “cleared slate” if Barack Obama was elected president. He also said the United States still had a critical role to play in creating peace between Israel and the Palestinians.
The king spoke for 20 minutes and then took questions Monday at his first appearance at an Aspen Institute event in Aspen.
In response to a question about whether Sen. Obama or Sen. John McCain would do more to improve America’s international reputation, Abdullah replied “If Senator Obama becomes president, I think that America would have a cleared slate. The challenge is that if he does become president, there will be tremendous expectations that this may be something new from America.”
King Abdullah said there has been intense interest around the world in the last year about the U.S. presidential election.
“I think that Obama would have a honeymoon internationally, but again, expectations would be much higher than they would be for Sen. McCain,” King Abdullah said. “I don’t envy either one of them, with the challenges that they have.”
King Abdullah is scheduled to meet today in Amman, Jordan, with Sen. Obama, who is on a five-day international tour. He immediately left Aspen after the institute event for the 14-hour flight to Jordan.
During his prepared remarks, King Abdullah urged the U.S. to embrace its unique role in brokering peace in the Middle East.
“No friend of peace can do more to help achieve this breakthrough than the United States,” he said. “I urge this great nation to marshal the international effort we must have to create a first and final historic peace settlement, and to create a new future for Palestinians and Israelis alike. Millions of people need us to succeed.”
King Abdullah, who once attended Deerfield Academy and Georgetown University, said American values were still admired around the world.
“Plenty of Americans are concerned about their country’s global image,” he said. “But time and again, I see the world’s people responding with tremendous approval when they feel traditional American values are at work. The stubborn defense of justice. The equal dignity of every person. Fair and vigorous and expanding opportunity. The defense of the underdog. Respect for other nations, large and small. These ideals are America’s heritage, and must be its promise in the future.”
And yet King Abdullah also told the Aspen audience that, “I cannot disguise to you the disappointment among Arab people. We see Israel still building settlements in the occupied West Bank. We see walls and roadblocks still bisecting Palestinian communities. We see the Palestinian economy still in shambles. And we see decade-old international resolutions and rulings ignored with impunity. Such a situation fuels the fire of radical groups.”
In response to another question, King Abdullah said he would be “very surprised” if either Israel or the U.S. attacked Iran, at least in the next few months.
“I would caution against that,” he said. “Another armed conflict in our part of the world is opening up Pandora’s Box and we have enough on our plate as it is today.”
Aspen Institute President and CEO Walter Isaacson praised the king’s speech.
“It was remarkably candid and blunt about the two paths we can follow, either getting an Israeli-Palestinian peace when we have a moderate Palestinian government, or facing an ongoing crisis in the Middle East,” Isaacson said. “And he is such a great voice of moderation. And that’s very brave. Voices of moderation don’t often triumph in that region.”
The Aspen Institute has been trying to create jobs for Palestinian youths through its U.S.-Palestinian Partnership and is now working on a new program to help create affordable housing in Jordan. King Abdullah said during his remarks that unemployment is the major problem in the Middle East, especially as 50 percent of the population is under 18.
Monday’s speech marked the second time King Abdullah has spoken in Aspen. In 2002, he spoke at a Fortune magazine conference here.
King Abdullah and Queen Rania al Abdullah and their entourage arrived in Aspen on Sunday night. The royal family stayed in top-floor suites at the luxurious Little Nell Hotel at the base of Aspen Mountain, according to a local man who was involved with some aspects of their visit. Queen Rania and some of the family’s four children were said to have gone rafting on the Roaring Fork River on Monday.
Prior to the visit, King Abdullah spent about a week in northern California and Oregon, where, according to the Seattle Times, he was riding his 1998 Heritage Softail Harley-Davidson motorcycle through the scenic countryside, often with local police support. Prior to that, the king was in Sun Valley, Idaho, to attend an annual conference put on by the investment bank Allen and Co. He left Jordan on July 9 for the U.S.
King Abdullah, 46, is the eldest son of the late King Hussein of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. He was named king upon King Hussein’s death in 1999.
Queen Noor, who married King Hussein in 1978 when Abdullah was a teenager, was in the audience at the Aspen Institute, where she is on the board of trustees.
“I thought he did very well,” Queen Noor said after the event. “And I think they both felt very welcomed in Aspen.”
Queen Noor, who was born in the U.S. to an Arab-American family, once spent time shortly after college working in Aspen and for years has been encouraging the king and queen to visit here.
“I’ve spoken to he and Rania many times about what a wonderful place it is for the family,” she said. “And about the physical, intellectual and spiritual component, not only of the institute, but of this extraordinary valley. And they feel it.”
bgs@aspendailynews.com
