06-14-2007, 08:41 AM
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#43 (permalink)
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Banned
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Quote:
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Originally Posted by mixedmedia
I take responsibility for it. As an American.
I guess I am long past expecting any sort of influence-wielding entity in the world to act in the way I would as an individual. I'm long past expecting it.
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mixedmedia, thank you for your comments and your justified, weary, resignation.
Jordan's King Abdullah speaking to US congress, March 7, 2007:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r6AKMu8M8xY
Quote:
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/07/wo...rssnyt&emc=rss
By BRIAN KNOWLTON
Published: March 7, 2007
WASHINGTON, March 7 — King Abdullah II of Jordan, in a rare appearance before a joint meeting of Congress, made an impassioned plea today for the United States to lead in an active pursuit of Israeli-Palestinian peace, saying that without it none of Middle East’s other problems would be solved.
He implored the lawmakers to exert American “leadership in a peace process that delivers results not next year, not in five years, but this year.”
The king pleaded as well for greater concern for the Palestinian people — a theme often heard in Europe but rarely in the halls of Congress. It met with a relatively tepid response, paling next to the applause for his broader calls for regional peace.
“Sixty years of Palestinian dispossession, 40 years under occupation, a stop-and-go peace process — all this has left a bitter legacy of disappointment and despair on all sides,” he said.
Palestinians grievances, the 45-year-old monarch said, were the "core issue" underlying violence throughout the region.
"The wellspring of regional division — the source of resentment and frustration far beyond — is the denial of justice and peace in Palestine," Abdullah said.
His plea for the United States to play a "central role" for peace in the Middle East came as the Bush administration, stung by setbacks from Iraq to Lebanon, has taken a broader diplomatic approach to the region, including a decision to meet on Saturday in Baghdad with Iranian, Syrian and other regional representatives to discuss security in Iraq.
The king, considered one of the closest regional allies of the Bus administration, has expressed deep distress over the regional unrest; he has personally attempted to mediate the infighting between Hamas and Fatah, the two main Palestinian factions.
If matters continue to degrade, he has warned, the region could see be the scene of three civil wars: in Iraq, in Lebanon and among the Palestinians.
“Palestinians and Israelis are not the only victims” of their conflict, he said. “We saw the violence ricochet into destruction in Lebanon last summer. And people around the world have been the victims of terrorists and extremists who use the grievance of this conflict to legitimize and encourage acts of violence.”
“We must work together to restore peace, hope and opportunity to the Palestinian people, and in so doing we will begin a process of bringing peace” to the region, he said.
Abdullah’s speech left at least a few lawmakers perplexed......
.....Abdullah alluded to Washington’s actions, saying that Palestinians “ask whether the West really means what it says about equality and respect and universal justice.”
Palestinians form a majority of the Jordanian population, many having come as refugees after the 1948 or 1967 Arab-Israeli wars.
“Thirteen years ago,” Abdullah said, “my father was here to talk about his hopes for peace.”
He added: “The next time a Jordanian, a Palestinian or an Israeli comes before you, let it be to say thank you for helping peace become a reality. ”
“Help fulfill the aspirations of Palestinians and Israelis to live in peace today.”
For that, he received a standing ovation.
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