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CNN Live Today

King of Jordan Winning Praise From World Leaders

Aired April 11, 2002 - 13:56   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
LEON HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: He is not as well known as his father, at least not yet, but Jordan's King Abdullah is winning some praise and credibility from other world leaders for his diplomacy and leadership in a tough neighborhood. Here with a look at him and his career, CNN's Gary Tuchman.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

GARY TUCHMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): He is the son of the late King Hussein, who is proclaimed to be the 43rd generation direct descendant of the prophet Mohammed. King Abdullah has now been the ruler of Jordan for over three years, following the death of his father. He was educated at Oxford in England and at Georgetown in the United States. So it is not surprising that his English is excellent and showed when he met with U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell in Washington this past January.

KING ABDULLAH II, JORDAN: The other day, let's forget about the politics and the leadership, the peoples -- I believe the majority of Israelis and Palestinians are just sick and tired of the cycle of violence and want a way out.

TUCHMAN: The U.S. government regards King Abdullah as a trustworthy and pragmatic partner for peace in the Middle East.

COLIN POWELL, SECRETARY OF STATE: It is always a pleasure to receive, if I may say, my good friend, his Majesty, King Abdullah.

RAGHIDA DERGHAM, "AL-HAYAT" NEWSPAPER: King Abdullah has shown quite a remarkable statesmanship. He is well in his skin as a king as well as he is able to stand up when necessary and be counted such as at the time terrorist attacks September 11.

TUCHMAN: Politically, the king, who recently turned 40, has to tread carefully. His country is a population that is between 60 and 70 percent Palestinian. The anger on the streets has resulted in many demonstrations, including this one in Amman this week, led by his wife, Queen Rania. She is of Palestinian origin herself.

QUEEN RANIA, JORDAN: What we are trying to do here is highlight the flagrant violation of human rights in the occupied territories. And we want the international community to put pressure on Israel, to respect their obligations under international humanitarian law. TUCHMAN: The king says he is frustrated, angry and dispirited over the bloodshed and is under pressure from many in the Arab world to renounce the peace treaty King Hussein signed with Israel in 1994. The former attack pilot in the Royal Jordanian Air Force has given no indication he will retreat from the commitment his father made to peace.

Gary Tuchman, CNN.

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