It is an honour to join the Assembly
today. I congratulate President Ashe on his election and
sincerely thank the Secretary-General for his always
invaluable work.
Global security will long be shaped by what is
happening right now in the Middle East. Our region can
be and must be a house of peace and prosperity, with
strong pillars of good governance and wide-open doors
to opportunity, especially for our young people. That is
Jordan’s blueprint, and we are not alone.
But no house can be built when its city is burning.
And today, the region’s fires cannot be ignored. All the
world is in their path. To protect the future, our world
must respond. The Syrian crisis is a global humanitarian
and security disaster. Escalating violence threatens
to hollow out the rest of that country’s economic and
political future. Extremists have rushed to promote and
exploit ethnic and religious divisions. Such a dynamic
could crush regional renaissance and put global security
at risk. We have a duty to reject those destructive forces.
Last month, Jordan hosted more than 100 eminent
Muslim scholars from around the world. Their work
affirms the true teachings of Islam and builds on
Jordan’s long-standing interfaith and intra-religious
initiatives: the Amman Message, A Common Word,
and World Interfaith Harmony Week.
The scholars said that there was no single prescribed
model for an Islamic State, but they affirmed that the
modern Islamic State should be a civic State, founded
on institutions and with an inclusive constitution based
on the rule of law, justice and freedom of opinion
and faith. The modern Islamic State should uphold
equality across the ethnic and religious spectrum.
The scholars decisively condemned the incitement of
ethnic and sectarian conflict, known in Arabic as fitna.
They recognized that evil for what it is — a threat
to the Muslim world, the Ummah, and indeed to all
humankind. Jordan has called upon the Organization of
Islamic Cooperation to adopt those recommendations,
which are critical guiding principles amid the turbulence
and transformations across our region.
This month, we in Jordan also convened an
international meeting to address challenges to Arab
Christian communities. They are an essential part of
our region’s past, present and future. Jordan has been
a historic model of coexistence and fraternity between
Muslims and Christians. We will continue to do our
utmost to protect our Arab Christian communities and
minorities, and we call on all countries to join us in our
stand for diversity, tolerance and mutual respect.
The truth is that respect for each other is the way
forward for all of us. The historic transformation
going on in my region today will not be achieved by
formulas; it will come when all of our citizens feel
truly represented. Jordan seeks a house of the future
that includes all. We are building our future on the solid
foundation of majority consensus, minority rights, a
democratic culture of active citizenship and peaceful,
evolutionary change.
The Syrian people must also have a future. And
for that, the international community must act. It is
time to fast-track a political transition in Syria, end
the violence and bloodshed, neutralize the threat of
chemical weapons, restore security and stability,
preserve the unity of Syria and its territorial integrity,
and engage all — all — of its people in building their
country’s future.
Syria’s future will depend on the Syrian people, but
the world has the duty, the interest and the power to help.
And help must come soon. The damage and dangers
are mounting. The flow of Syrian refugees into Jordan
already equals one-tenth of our own population. It could
reach 1 million, some 20 per cent of our population, by
next year. These are not just numbers; they are people
who need food, water, shelter, sanitation, electricity,
health care and more.
Not even the strongest global economies could
absorb such demand on infrastructure and resources,
let alone a small economy and the fourth water-poorest
country in the world. Jordanians have opened their arms
to those in need, as we have always done, but I say here
and now that my people cannot be asked to shoulder the
burden of what is a regional and global challenge.
Let me acknowledge, with gratitude, the generous
response to date by the United Nations and regional and
international donors. But we can all see the reality on
the ground; the need is outracing the response. More
support is urgently needed to send a strong signal that
the world community stands shoulder to shoulder with
those who have borne so much. Those who are suffering
in Syria also need the world to be resolute: the Syrian
parties must abide by international humanitarian law
and principles, and allow humanitarian access, into and
within Syria, to reach those in need.
Our international community must also work
together for a speedy resolution of the region’s core
crisis. The Palestinian-Israeli conflict consumes
resources that are needed to build a better future and
feeds the flames of extremism around the world. It is
time to put this fire out.
The talks that began in July show that progress
can be made, with willing parties, determined United
States leadership and strong regional and international
backing. We commend the President of Palestine and
the Prime Minister of Israel for the bold decision to
resume final status negotiations. We urge them to
stay committed to reaching an agreement within the
established time frame. Let there be no actions that
can derail what is still a fragile process. This means
no continued settlement construction and no unilateral
actions that threaten the status quo in East Jerusalem
and its Muslim and Christian holy sites. Such threats
would be a flashpoint for global concern.
We know the right way forward. And the goal
can be reached. It includes a just and final two-State
settlement, based on international legitimacy and the
Arab Peace Initiative; for Israel, real security and
normal relations with 57 Arab and Muslim countries;
for the Palestinian people, at long last, the rights they
deserve in a viable and independent Palestinian State
on Palestinian national soil, based on the 1967 lines and
with East Jerusalem as its capital.
Let us keep the focus on what we are
building — communities safe for families to lead
normal lives; a Middle East of many houses, working
together in region-wide cooperation; the ultimate
security for our future.
The future is ours to build, not in the Middle
East alone, but in global partnership. Those who are
working to do the right thing need the whole world’s
support. With every country that is more prosperous
and free, with every neighbourhood that is safer, with
every person who has more reason to hope, the entire
house of humankind grows more secure. Let this be our
promise, not only for future generations, but for those
we serve today.