Showing posts with label King Abdullah of Jordan. Show all posts
Showing posts with label King Abdullah of Jordan. Show all posts
Saturday, October 21, 2023
Jordan’s King Condemns Gaza War Crimes at Cairo Peace Summit | Al Jazeera Newsfeed
Monday, February 21, 2022
Revealed: King of Jordan Used Swiss Accounts to Hoard Massive Wealth
THE GUARDIAN: Leak shows King Abdullah was beneficial owner of at least six Credit Suisse accounts
In 2011, as popular revolts reverberated around the Middle East, a monarch in the midst of it all made some banking decisions. Sometime that year, as neighbouring Egypt and Syria withered in the face of momentous civil protests, King Abdullah II of Jordan opened two new accounts with Credit Suisse, the Swiss bank that had discreetly served the region’s well-heeled for decades.
Abdullah, one of the world’s longest-serving current monarchs, had chosen a banker that shared his approach to secrecy, particularly surrounding his personal wealth. Over the next five years, the king was the beneficial owner of at least six accounts with Credit Suisse, while his wife, Queen Rania, had another.
According to a massive trove of data leaked from the bank that names both royals as account holders, one account would later be worth a remarkable 230m Swiss francs (£180m).
At home, King Abdullah had been experiencing a rocky ride. The revolts, which came to be known as the Arab spring, led to leaders being toppled in Tunisia, Egypt, Libya and Yemen, and a brutal, protracted war breaking out in Syria. Jordan, one of the region’s more efficient security states, was able to stave off a threat from a nascent opposition, through suppression of dissent and promises of better days.
But in the decade since, a struggling economy, persistent levels of poverty, high unemployment, cuts to welfare and seemingly ever-present austerity measures have continued to stir resentment across the country. One particular gripe has been the juxtaposition between the apparent wealth of the king and the constant grind endured by most citizens just to get by. As the IMF agreed to bail out Jordan, on the condition that its people tighten their collective belts, the king was moving enormous amounts between his Swiss accounts. » | Martin Chulov, Middle East correspondent | Monday, February 21, 2022
Wherever you look, to whichever country you turn your sights, the rich élite are playing the people for fools! And we, the people, the fools, are playing along with their game. – © Mark
Tuesday, November 24, 2015
Putin: Downing of Russian Jet over Syria Stab in the Back by Terrorist Accomplices
Thursday, March 21, 2013
THE INDEPENDENT: Jordan's monarch hits out at US journalist as comments about several Arab leaders cause a stir
The King of Jordan has fired a broadside against a veteran US journalist for penning a magazine article in which the monarch was quoted berating other Middle Eastern leaders and describing his country’s tribal elders as “dinosaurs”.
Abdullah II’s court released a statement calling Jeffrey Goldberg’s 10,000-word piece for The Atlantic “inaccurate and dishonest” after its contents caused a stir in regional media. Of particular contention were what seemed to be derisory references to the leaders of Turkey and Egypt, and tribal chieftains in Jordan’s impoverished south.
The article, which paints a portrait of a weary monarch with a deep mistrust of the Muslim Brotherhood, comes at a delicate time for the pro-Western King. Abdullah managed to cling to power even as his country was buffeted by Arab Spring protests, but he has since faced increasing criticism from the country’s tribes – a traditional backbone of support. » | Loveday Morris | Beirut | Wednesday, March 20, 2013
THE ATLANTIC: The Modern King in the Arab Spring: Amid the social and political transformations reshaping the Middle East, can Jordan's Abdullah II, the region's most pro-American Arab leader, liberalize his kingdom, modernize its economy, and save the country from capture by Islamist radicals? » | Jeffrey Goldberg | Monday, March 18, 2013
Monday, January 30, 2012
Thursday, March 03, 2011
ARAB NEWS: AMMAN – A senior US official held separate meetings on Wednesday with Jordan’s King Abdallah and Prime Minister Marouf Bakhit to relay Washington’s support for the political and economic reforms recently pledged by the two leaders, according to a US embassy statement.
Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy, Human Rights and Labour Michael Posner "emphasised the strong, long-term American commitment to the well-being of Jordan and the US appreciation of Jordan’s many decades of work toward regional peace and prosperity”, the statement said.
He also underscored the "US support for the king’s call for sustained, serious and comprehensive program of political and economic reform as the key to realizing the enormous potential of Jordan and Jordanians”, it added. >>> Abdul Jalil Mustafa | Arab News | Thursday, March 03, 2011
Friday, May 08, 2009
REUTERS: AMMAN - Pope Benedict began a delicate trip to the Middle East on Friday by expressing "deep respect" for Islam and calling for a three-way dialogue of Christians, Muslims and Jews to help peace.
The 82-year-old pope appeared careful to avoid politically tinged statements at the start of his first visit to the region, which will also take him to Israel and the Palestinian territories.
"My visit to Jordan gives me a welcome opportunity to speak of my deep respect for the Muslim community," Benedict said in his arrival address, praising King Abdullah for his work in "promoting a better understanding of the virtues proclaimed by Islam."
Benedict's Regensburg speech in 2006, in which he implied Islam was violent and irrational, still rankles in the Islamic world. Jordanian Islamist leaders have denounced the visit, saying he should apologise for the Regensburg speech first.
The pope tactfully avoided politics in responding to reporters' questions on the plane taking him to Jordan, stressing the potential of religion to help resolve conflicts.
"We are not a political power but a spiritual force and this spiritual force is a reality that can contribute to progress in the peace process," he told journalists aboard his airplane.
"As believers we are convinced that prayer is a real force, it opens the world to God. We are convinced that God listens and can affect history and I think that if millions of believers pray it really is a force that has influence and can make a contribution to moving ahead with peace," he said. >>> By Philip Pullella and Tom Heneghan. Additional reporting by Suleiman al-Khalidi, editing by Mark Trevelyan | Friday, May 8, 2009
Watch BBC video: Pope Benedict XVI says he has 'deep respect' for the Muslim community >>>
BBC:
Pope Begins Mid-East Pilgrimage >>> | Friday, May 8, 2009
Friday, May 18, 2007
TIMESONLINE: The world is losing its last hope of making peace in the Middle East and could face the real danger that the conflict between Israel and the Arab and Muslim worlds will continue indefinitely, according to King Abdullah II of Jordan. Time running out to end crisis in Middle East, says King of Jordan (more) By Richard Beeston and Michael Binyon
Mark Alexander
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