|
Jordan's king warns of civil wars
Jordan's King Abdullah has warned that three civil wars could break out in the Middle East unless the international community takes urgent action. Speaking on US TV, he said conflicts in Lebanon, Iraq and the Palestinian territories could spin out of control.King Abdullah is this week hosting both the US president and the Iraqi prime minister for talks against a backdrop of escalating violence in Iraq. The issue will also feature when the Iraqi president visits Iran on Monday. "We could possibly imagine going into 2007 and having three civil wars on our hands," King Abdullah told ABC television. "It is time that we really take a strong step forward as part of the international community and make sure we avert the Middle East from a tremendous crisis that I fear and I see could possibly happen in 2007." "Because these civil wars could cause me to lose my throne, and we can't let that happen!" A tentative ceasefire for the Gaza Strip is currently in place, but King Abdullah said the central issue in the region remained the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. "Palestine is the core," he said. "It is linked to the extent of what's going on in Iraq." "It is linked to what's going on in Lebanon. It is linked to the issues that we find ourselves with the Syrians. So, if you want to do comprehensive - comprehensive means bringing all the parties of the region together." King Abdullah will host US President George W Bush and Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri Maliki in Amman later this week. He said the US should look at the big picture in seeking a resolution to the problems in Iraq and bring in all of the region, including Syria and Iran. He said if a regional peace process did not develop soon, "there won't be anything to talk about". Posted by: tipper 2006-11-27 |
| http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?ID=173250 |