Jordan will reject 'unjust' Mideast settlement

AMMAN (AFP) - Jordan's King Abdullah II has pledged his country will reject any "unjust settlement" of the Palestinian issue that could undermine Amman's own stability and development.

The king was speaking at the opening of the fourth ordinary session of parliament since June 2003 elections, and his "speech from the throne" was followed by the re-election of the speaker for the 110-seat lower house.

"My government ... commits itself to offering all possible support to the Palestinians," the king said.

"Jordan will not accept an unjust settlement of this issue, nor will Jordan accept any settlement that comes at its expense," he told the upper and lower chambers of parliament.

Jordan, where half the population is of Palestinian origin, has repeatedly said it will never accept becoming a substitute state for the Palestinians as part of any Middle East settlement.

Speaking ahead of a visit Wednesday to Jordan by US President George W. Bush and beleaguered Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki to discuss Iraq's dire security situation, the monarch reiterated his support for Baghdad.

"My government will continue to stand by the Iraqi people, and by Iraq's unity, sovereignty, security and stability," he said.

His comments also came ahead of a meeting Tuesday with Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas.

The king warned this week that civil wars could erupt in Iraq, the Palestinian territories and Lebanon, and hoped his talks with Bush will help find solutions to solve these conflicts which he said threaten regional stability.

Turning to domestic issues, the king said Jordan must realise "more economic, social, political and legislative achievements" to better face "numerous and dangerous internal and external challenges".

"There is no time for delay," he said.

Jordan is hosting an annual conference on democracy Thursday and Friday which is to be attended by US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and which aims to promote reforms in the Middle East under a US-launched initiative.

The king urged parliament to fast-track new laws to regulate political parties and said the government should strive to eradicate poverty, preserve public freedoms, fight corruption and empowering women and youths.

Planning Minister Suhair Ali said last week that poverty had increased by 0.5 percent since 2002.

"I directed the government, as they were preparing the general budget for 2007, to include programs and projects that would improve the standard of living of citizens in all governorates, enhance the investment climate, and realize justice in the distribution of the benefits of development," he said.

The government must also "commit itself ... to develop and modernise" the armed forces and security institutions in Jordan, he said.

The lower house re-elected speaker Abdelhadi Majali for a fourth, one-year term during balloting shown live on state television.

Majali, from the right-wing pro-government National Constitutional Party and a former head of the public security department, beat Islamist MP Zuheir Abu Ragheb by 73 votes to 26.

Islamist Action Front MPs Ali Abu Sukkar and Mohammad Abu Fares did not attend the session.

Earlier this year the pair was arrested, tried and sentenced to jail on charges of fueling national discord and inciting sectarianism after they offered condolences to slain Al-Qaeda frontman Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, killed in a US air strike in Iraq in June.

The MPs were pardoned by the king in September but have lost their parliamentary immunity since their arrest and their status has remained unclear.

Abu Sukkar told AFP he and Abu Fares were "not invited by the speaker to attend the session" and branded this a "constitutional violation" of their rights as deputies.

In addition to the lower house, parliament also comprises a 55-member upper house appointed by the king.

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