Crown Prince Offers Reassurances That Continuity Will Reign

The man who will replace King Hussein as head of the Hashemite dynasty, his eldest son, Abdullah, is keen to reassure listeners here and abroad that he will continue the policies of his dying father.

Yet even as he speaks, 37-year-old Crown Prince Abdullah shows the markings of a new generation of rising leaders whose coming of age may one day sweep the Middle East.

In a rare interview--his first since he was unexpectedly named heir to the throne Jan. 26--Abdullah told a small group of journalists this week that he saw himself as an “extension” of King Hussein, and he took pains to downplay reports of rifts within the royal family over the issue of succession.

The career soldier who rose to the rank of major-general sought to counter the widely held opinion that he is a political novice, but he also acknowledged that he was a little overwhelmed at his appointment.

“This took me slightly by surprise,” Abdullah said in the interview, which took place Thursday in the ornate Raghadan Palace. “I always thought it would be a great honor to work behind the scenes for his majesty and for the family.”

The interview clearly had been arranged as a kind of tryout for the young king-to-be. He appeared polished and articulate but also comfortably casual, greeting his visitors with a handshake, a warm smile and a folksy “Hi!” A half-brother, Prince Ali, 23, came along for moral support.

Abdullah pledged to continue his father’s policies on all scores, including Jordan’s cordial relations with “our friends the Israelis.” He said he assured U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, one of the first world leaders to pay a visit, that Jordan will continue to cooperate with Washington on peacemaking and other regional issues.

The United States “just wanted to make sure that the policies of his majesty had not changed at all,” he said of Albright’s visit last week. He added that he had reassured Albright that they had not. “We are on the same sheet of music with our American friends.”

Abdullah has a strong, stocky build, not much taller than his father, and has blue-gray eyes. He speaks flawless English, thanks to his British mother and schooling in Britain and the United States. He has a faint British accent, but his style is very American, a marked contrast to the more formal British accent and manner of the man he replaced as crown prince, his uncle, Prince Hassan.

Abdullah has developed close friendships with his contemporaries from the Persian Gulf states, many of whom, like him, are royal heirs and military commanders. Abdullah is expected to try to build on these relationships to improve diplomatic ties, which turned sour after Jordan supported Iraqi President Saddam Hussein in the 1990-91 Persian Gulf War.

“Relations in the Arab world will be one place where he will want to make his mark,” said a Western diplomat who has met Abdullah. “It is his personal inclination, and there is opportunity.”

The Gulf states too are ready to strengthen their ties with Jordan. They “are ready to turn the page and recognize they have a stake in the stability of Jordan. Abdullah is predisposed to improve relations and will take advantage of the opportunity,” the diplomat said.

Abdullah’s network of friendships also emphasizes the emerging generation of future leaders. Unlike the aging patriarchs they will replace, they are less ideological, have lived in relative peace and stability, are better educated and are schooled generally in Western political systems.

“I find we have a lot in common,” Abdullah said of his Arab contemporaries. “We’ve been to the same schools in the States, we go to the same restaurants, we like the same movies. This can only be [for] the good. There’s a similar outlook across the board. We all think the same way.”

He noted that a “clean slate” has made for improved relations with Saudi princes who have become “really good friends.”

King Hussein was being sustained by life support systems Friday at an Amman hospital, with death appearing imminent. Throughout the region, leaders such as the Palestinians’ Yasser Arafat and Syria’s Hafez Assad are aging and ill. Not all have prepared their successors; Arafat reportedly has no plan at all for his succession.

However, in Saudi Arabia, Oman and the United Arab Emirates, among others, princes in their 30s and 40s are in line to assume power. Their attitudes may have evolved dramatically from their predecessors, but internal pressures, religion and other forces may slow significant change.

Leila Sharaf, a prominent Jordanian politician, sees Abdullah as a symbol of changes to come in Middle Eastern leadership. New leaders will be forced to function in a global economy, with the Internet and instant communications that their fathers never conceived of.

“A new generation will come about that . . . grew up in times of peace and had the luxury of [living] lives of stability,” she said. “They have more education and more exposure to the outside world. The mentality will change. There will be a new rapport among them. They are more willing to open doors.”

Abdullah himself credits his army training, especially the years he spent in the field, with teaching him about his country and his people.

“I got a good feeling of what Jordan’s all about,” he said.

The prince said his experience has been “mostly military,” but within that, he has made many lobbying trips to the United States and has many contacts at the Pentagon and on Capitol Hill.

He also hinted at friendships, or at least contacts, with his military and security counterparts in Israel. Yet clearly cognizant that such ties could be controversial here for a prospective king, he said he had been hesitant to return congratulatory phone calls from some Israelis.

Several of his military connections have recently “gone into politics” in Israel, he noted, and the heated election campaign there will make maintaining contact more difficult for now. Jordan cannot be seen as taking sides.

Under Hussein, Jordan has moved slightly toward a more democratic government, with an elected parliament, but one that is dissolved at the monarch’s prerogative. The prime minister and Cabinet are appointed by the king.

Abdullah said he would like to continue the trend toward democracy but said it would have to be a slow, deliberate process.

“It takes a bit of discipline,” he said. “We’ve seen a great maturing in the parliament and government. We hope to continue in this direction.”

Seated beside Ali on a sofa, the crown prince stressed the importance of his brothers’ support and was quick to downplay reports of tensions in the royal family that have followed Hassan’s sudden demotion by the king and his own ascension. People around the family gossip and spread rumors, he said, but there are no troubles within it.

Hassan, only 14 years older at 51, has “given so much to the country and to me,” Abdullah said. “He’s been like a big brother to me over the years. My uncle has always been there for me.”

Yet, he added, “there is no going back” on the issue of succession.

“The change has been made. There will be as smooth a transition as possible.”