King Abdullah leads tributes to mark Jordan’s centenary
King Abdullah II marked Jordan’s centenary yesterday with a public appearance alongside his half-brother Prince Hamzah bin Hussein, days after their uncle mediated an end to a rift between the two men.
Photos published by state media showed King Abdullah and Prince Hamzah at the grave of their father, King Hussein, along with their brothers and cousins. Between them stood Prince Hassan bin Talal, who last week oversaw the signing of a declaration in which Prince Hamzah reaffirmed his allegiance to the monarch.
King Abdullah said in a televised speech last Wednesday that strife in the kingdom had been avoided. He spoke days after 16 people linked to Prince Hamzah were arrested. Among them were royal family member Sharif Hassan bin Zaid and the former chief of the royal court, Bassem Awadallah.
As part of yesterday’s events, King Abdullah laid a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Amman. The official news agency said the king recited a prayer for the “souls of the brave martyrs who had irrigated with their pure blood the earth of the homeland and the earth of Palestine”. Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, and Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, stressed the depth of the UAE’s ties with Jordan in messages of congratulations posted on Twitter on Saturday.
“Jordan has love for the people of the Emirates and its leaders since the founding of the state,” Sheikh Mohammed wrote.
The message was accompanied by a video showing Sheikh Zayed, the Founding Father, receiving King Hussein, as well as visits to the Emirates by his son and successor. King Abdullah also received phone calls and cables of congratulations from other regional and international leaders. Britain’s Prince Charles sent a message of congratulations in which he praised Jordan’s “remarkable and long-standing diplomacy” in building peace in the region.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken also praised Jordan’s role in ensuring peace and stability.