Remarks by His Majesty King Abdullah II At the Opening Session of the We Are All Jordan Forum

In the Name of God, the Most Merciful, the Compassionate,

Dear Brothers,

May God grant you good health.

I am here today to welcome all of you, and wish you success. God willing, this meeting will be productive and fruitful, and the results will meet people's ambitions and hopes.

The challenge laid before us in this meeting is extraordinary, and requires all of us to work with a team spirit, guided by a sense of responsibility and national duty to our homeland, eschewing personal interests.

We, all of us gathered in this hall, are Jordan. There should be no formalities between us, no need for appeasement and no personal agendas. The priorities, as you well know, have been defined, and the individuals you chose during the last meeting, have striven over the past days, with utmost devotion, to define the sub-topics and objectives of these sessions, according to the priorities identified in the last meeting.

I have placed great hopes in this forum, and I hope that by the end of the forum tomorrow that we will have reached a consensus on national principles and one national vision and plan and on a definition of the goals and priorities whose implementation should be accelerated to protect Jordan and its achievements and keep our country moving forward.

It is important that we all agree on laws that are necessary to safeguard the nation and accelerate economic and political reforms, so that we may present them to the extraordinary session of Parliament.

I ask you to suggest mechanisms through which we can guarantee the implementation of your recommendations.

As you well know, the conditions and challenges we face demand that we work to the utmost of our ability and move as quickly as possible. Every one of us bears a responsibility: the government, senators, deputies, judges, the media, parties, professional associations, the private sector, and each citizen of this homeland.

As for the situation in Lebanon, we exerted great efforts over the past few days and were able, thank God, to overcome the air blockade imposed on Lebanon. The first Royal Jordanian Air Force plane arrived there today, carrying a mobile hospital and medical equipment for the victims of the Israeli aggression. Also on board are Royal Engineering Corps teams to reopen Beirut airport.

I will be with you, during these two days, to participate and assist in any way that you require. God willing, together we will see the results tomorrow, and they will meet our expectations.

May God grant you good health.