King Hussein Takes Turn for Worse, Flies Home

King Hussein, who had been undergoing emergency treatment in the United States for lymphatic cancer, flew home in critical condition Thursday to a shocked and worried nation.

A statement quoting Hussein’s private physician and released by Jordanian officials Thursday night said the condition of the 63-year-old monarch had “become critical due to the failure of the functions of the internal organs.” A bone-marrow transplant performed at Minnesota’s Mayo Clinic earlier in the week in an effort to halt the progress of the cancer reportedly failed.

“It is his wish to come back home,” a senior official said.

The private plane carrying the ailing king and an entourage that included his U.S.-born wife, Queen Noor, and several of his 12 children was due to land midmorning today at a military airfield here. Hussein is expected to be taken directly from the plane to a nearby military hospital.

Two F-16s attached to the Minnesota Air Guard escorted the king’s plane as it left the United States for the return trip to Jordan.

The ominous turn of events was the latest twist in an emotional roller coaster for Jordanians that began Jan. 19, when the king returned, ostensibly cured of his cancer, to a rapturous welcome from thousands of cheering subjects in the streets of Amman, the capital.

Within days, however, Hussein shook Jordan to its core by unceremoniously ousting his brother, Hassan, who had been his official heir for more than three decades, and naming his own eldest son, Abdullah, as Jordan’s new crown prince. Hours after making the announcement, the king abruptly flew back to the Mayo Clinic, where he had already undergone six months of treatment for non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma.

Now Jordanians and many others with an interest in this small, strategically placed nation can only wait for news as Hussein’s long and tumultuous reign appears to be nearing its end.

Officials here, who had reported only two days ago that the king’s condition was stable and that his morale was high, appeared stunned Thursday by the shift of events. “It is as sudden as it seems,” one said. “No one knew anything.”

In Washington, Clinton administration officials were clearly concerned about the prospect of losing a leader who not only has been a force of stability in a volatile region, but who also more often than not positioned himself as an ally and genuine friend of the United States and the West.

One senior White House official who requested anonymity said Hussein was in such precarious condition Wednesday and Thursday that he was unable to take a personal phone call from President Clinton.

“He is the symbol of decency in a region filled with vipers,” the official said. “He is a monumental figure.”

With the king’s condition uncertain, official U.S. comments were confined to expressions of moral and emotional support.

“Our thoughts and prayers are with the king, his family and the people of Jordan at this time,” State Department spokesman James Foley said. “I don’t think it’s appropriate to say anything else right now.”

A White House official said Clinton is prepared to travel to Jordan on short notice in the event of Hussein’s death.

Hussein has ruled Jordan for 47 years, surviving wars, civil unrest and several assassination attempts. He has provided this desert kingdom with a stability rare in the region, and many Jordanians have expressed both a highly personal grief and uncertainty at the prospect of life without him.

That unease was heightened just over a week ago by Hussein’s summary dismissal of Hassan, 51, after 34 years as the royal understudy. The new crown prince, Abdullah, 37, is the commander of Jordan’s special forces, and many here say he is much like his father both in style and interests.

Abdullah has little experience in diplomatic or political affairs, however, and many had hoped that he could learn his new role slowly, under his father’s guidance. That now seems unlikely.

But the crown prince has signaled that, when the time comes, he will continue with his father’s policies, including the peace treaty Jordan signed with Israel in 1994.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, whose right-wing government has often earned criticism from Hussein for the slow pace of peacemaking with the Palestinians, is scheduled to visit Amman on Sunday for a courtesy call on the new crown prince.

It was not known whether the visit will still take place.

Times staff writers Tyler Marshall and Robin Wright in Washington contributed to this report.