So you think the death of Colonel Gaddafi is a good thing?
There is an old saying that peace is going to be much harder than war. I think the challenge for Libya now is how to make this transition peacefully.
I heard that Hamas’s leader, Khaled Meshal, is coming to Jordan.
Because of the loss of Egypt’s political leadership, the rest of us are having to step up. On the Israeli-Palestinian issue, Jordan’s relationship with the Palestinians has had to take a step forward.
You support Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas’s request for U.N. membership?
Yes, we do. It is out of desperation and frustration that they are going to the U.N. I think part of the problem is that in the U.S., you have your other [domestic] priorities. . . .
I think the [Obama] administration would be very wary to step out front without guarantees on the Israeli-Palestinian process, which is a shame because it is desperately needed now.
[The Arab Spring] is a disaster for Israel, isn’t it?
You have seen what has happened in Egypt [and] Turkey. We are actually the last man standing with our relationship with Israel.
The Israelis are worried the Egyptians will break the [peace] treaty.
That is a very, very strong possibility.
Do you intend to support Jordan’s treaty with Israel?
We have a peace treaty with Israel and will continue to do so because it helps both parties.
A lot of Israelis think your recent statements have been hostile.
What I am saying is they are missing an opportunity here and I am very concerned. This is the most frustrated I have ever been about the peace process. I think a lot of us have come to the conclusion that this particular [Israeli] government is not interested in a two-state solution.
What did you think of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s deal with Hamas to release an Israeli soldier ?
It is politics at the end of the day.
It was strange for Israel to be negotiating with Hamas.
I think all of us have been asking each other, what is the Israeli government’s true intention right now? Since I am not convinced there is an interest in a two-state solution, the question I am asking is: What is Plan B?
You just appointed a new prime minister .
The new prime minister, Awn al-Khasawneh, has got an impeccable record; he is the ideal person to get us to national elections as quickly as possible.
If you look five years down the line, do you see yourself relinquishing some power to the parliament?
Probably sooner. We haven’t shut any doors on relinquishing power. My mission is as quickly as possible to get Jordan to have a prime minister elected from a political party. . . . We need to create new political parties based on programs. . . .
The Arab Spring didn’t start because of politics; it started because of economics — poverty and unemployment. . . . What keeps me up at night is not political reform because I am clear on where we are going. What keeps me up at night is the economic situation because if people are going to get back on the streets, it is because of economic challenges, not political.
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