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American Morning

America Under Attack: King Abdullah of Jordan Discusses Fight Against Terrorism

Aired September 12, 2001 - 09:34   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.
PAULA ZAHN, CNN ANCHOR: I need to mention that a bunch of us up here on the platform have just sited what we believe to be a military jet doing some kind of flyover. In light of what David Ensor is reporting, it doesn't make a lot of sense, what he is describing. His report made sense, describing the activity in Canada, but this jet was traveling south and slightly east of here. It appeared over Fifth Avenue.

We have no idea what the relevance of that fight is, but it clearly was a military jet. Some folks around here who are very good at identifying military thought it was an F-16. We will try to confirm whether it was and what it all means.

Now I have the honor of joining King Abdullah of Jordan, for his reaction to what has happened here in the United States.

Your majesty, thank you very much for joining us today.

KING ABDULLAH, JORDAN: Thank you.

ZAHN: Do you have any idea who is responsible for this massacre in the United States?

ABDULLAH: I think, at this stage, it is too early to tell. Obviously, the international community, Jordan included, is working very closely with the United States to try to come up with some answers as quickly as possible. But I'm sure in very short period of time we will be able to identify the individuals or the organizations that are behind this very barbaric act.

ZAHN: What kind of intelligence support are you providing the United States?

ABDULLAH: Well, many countries in the Middle East as well as further afield are working closely together with the different agencies in the United States, to compare information -- and this is not just because of the crisis, it's something that has been going on for many years. But obviously, everybody in their offices are working night and day to try to get to the bottom of this horrendous crime as quickly as possible.

ZAHN: In what way is Jordan attempting to combat terrorism right now? ABDULLAH: Obviously, Jordan has been working very closely with the United States for many, many years, due to, unfortunately, conspiracies our country has gone through, and we have a very close working relationship between the security services and intelligence communities of both countries.

But again, I think you must understand that combating international terrorism is actually a combined effort by many countries all over the world, and we're just part of that effort.

ZAHN: As I understand it, you were halfway across the Atlantic, on your way to the United States, and your jet turned around. What else can you tell us about that?

ABDULLAH: We were almost coming towards the coastland of Nova Scotia when we got the information of the first incident, of the first aircraft hitting one of the towers. And as the information began to unfold, obviously, we did feel like we wanted to continue to the United States. Air traffic was a problem at that point. And obviously, we realized that the government and the federal agencies were going to have their hands full because of the challenging circumstances. So it was better to return home at that point.

All of us here in Jordan would like to share in the sorrow and the grief that has befallen the United States, and particularly, the families of the victims at home.

ZAHN: A number of world leaders, including yourself, have condemned this attack. Yasser Arafat, yesterday, condemned the attack. What is your reaction to some of the Palestinians, yesterday, in East Jerusalem and in the West Bank, who were celebrating these attacks in the United States as a victory against Israel?

ABDULLAH: I think we were here in Jordan just as shocked as you were. But again, as you said, it's a small group, and I think this is a small group of individuals that was celebrating and is in no way a reflection of the Palestinian people or the peoples of the Middle East. I think all of us are shocked, saddened, and distraught that so many innocent people have been hurt or killed in this devastating incident.

We all have families, and just to think of putting ourselves in the shoes of those bereaved ones in the United States I think has touched everybody. I have friends in New York. I spent yesterday trying to call my friends, to make sure they were all right.

I think all of us have been touched by this incident, and I hope that this is a renewed effort by the international community to really be able to work much stronger together. There's a lot more that we can do to breakdown the barriers of cooperation between different countries, to try to rid ourselves of this horrendous form of international terrorism.

ZAHN: Your majesty, do you think U.S. policy in the region made the United States vulnerable to this attack? ABDULLAH: I believe that many countries in the world have been targets for terrorist organizations. As I said, this is not a phenomena of this week. The United States and the international community have been battling terrorism for several decades now. And again, it must be pointed out that this is an ongoing battle that happens every day. And I'm somewhat surprised that something like this never happen sooner. The law of averages, sooner or later, the bad guys are going to get one through. We have to understand that.

I hope America has -- and I sure it will have -- the strength and determination to pick itself up and really take the fight back to the terrorists and those responsible for the hideous crimes that we saw perpetrated yesterday.

ZAHN: Sir, so it sounds to me, your majesty -- and I have to do this briefly -- that, in essence, you're saying perhaps even if, as one of our guests suggested earlier today, peace had been achieved in July of 2000 in the Middle East, this still might have happened.

ABDULLAH: I don't believe so, because I think that if you had solved the problems of the Middle East, then obviously, the core issue is that between the Israelis and Palestinians. I doubt very much that this incident would have taken place.

And again, that was a reminder to all of us and why I think so many of us in the international community had been working so hard to bring a stop to the violence and to bring people back to the peace process, because, in a vacuum, you do allow the extremists the upper hand and the chance to try things as happened yesterday. And they will continue trying until we can solve the problem once and for all.

ZAHN: King Abdullah, it is a honor to have you join us here at CNN. We very much appreciate your time. Thank you.

ABDULLAH: Thank you very much.

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