Pope Francis and King of Jordan say negotiation is “the only option” for Syria

[proverbialwisdom]

http://www.catholicherald.co.uk/news/2013/08/29/pope-francis-and-king-of-jordan-say-negotiations-are-the-only-option-for-syria/

Pope Francis and King of Jordan say negotiation is “the only option” for Syria
By CINDY WOODEN on Thursday, 29 August 2013


Pope Francis shakes hands with Jordan's King Abdullah II at the Vatican (CNS)

Dialogue and negotiations are “the only option for putting an end to the conflict and violence” in Syria, said Pope Francis and Jordan’s King Abdullah II.

As Western leaders expressed strong convictions that the Syrian government carried out a chemical weapons attack against its own citizens and vowed to take action, Pope Francis met King Abdullah and Queen Rania at the Vatican.

Jordan borders Syria and hosts hundreds of thousands of Syrian refugees who have fled the fighting that began in March 2011 in an attempt to oust President Bashar Assad.

The king and queen’s meeting with Pope Francis was arranged hastily after tensions grew in the Middle East over the reported atrocities in Syria and the unrest in Egypt, with the Pontiff breaking off from his holiday to host the visit.

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[delrem]

1. I hear that the king of Jordan hosts CIA training sites for jihadists.

This is a photo-op, something that king blockhead enjoys as much as Palestine's Abbas. Which is saying a lot.

[Arctic Dave]

2. A king?

Sounds like an unelected head of a government.

[Igel]

5. Indeed.

But we've already had elected presidents deposed in the name of democracy while kings are popular and supported (provided they don't do all that much), so the difference between elected and unelected seems not to be so important.

In this case it's a historical kind of thing. Of course.

The Jordanian kings are "Hashemites." Quraysh. For a long time (we're talking really, really long time) they were the guardians of the Big Black Cube and in charge of the city south of the City (Mecca). They acknowledged the parvenus Ottomans when they came along but led the fight for Arab independence during WWI and set up shop in the Hejaz. (When I learned my Middle Eastern geography in grade school (ahead of the curve) it included the Hejaz. How was I to know my 1928 encyclopedia was just a tad out of date when I learned all about this in the 1960s? It's probably what triggered my father's insistence on buying a more up-to-date set of encyclopedia, having a 9-year-old in 1969 who was so utterly au courant ... for 1928).

Anyway, some Volk over in the Najd wanted power and managed to create problems. The Hashemite king moved to Amman, Jordan. Been there ever since, with the British helping to protect them from the nasty imperialist Najdis. (We call the "nasty Najdis" the Sa'udis.) The Najdis have continued to make problems for the Hashemite kings ever since. Their existence keeps the Sa'udi upstart royalty awake at night, questioning their own legitimacy. From time to time there have been calls for the Hashemites to return to Mecca. The Sa'udis really, really don't like that. The ubermuslims don't like that there are Muslims more uber than them.

We tended to cut Jordan some slack, and still do. Perhaps because the Jordanian king's wife back in the '80s was American by birth, born in DC. JFK appointed her father head of the FAA. Part Syrian. Queen Noor.

[Arctic Dave]

6. Thank you for the very informative post.

Interesting to say the least.

[gopiscrap]

3. Good for them! I agree.

[newfie11]

4. A voice of reason

Omg noooo. We can't have that! Bomb bomb bomb!