Speech of His Majesty King Abdullah II On the occasion of Eid Al Adha

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

Prayers and Peace be upon our Master Mohammad, the Honest Arab Hashemite Prophet.

Brothers and sisters, members of the one Jordanian family,

Peace, God' mercy and blessings be upon you,

It is my pleasure, on the eve of the Eid Al Adha, an occasion that is special to all Muslims, to send you all and Arab and Muslim nations greetings and good wishes.

I also join you in sending special wishes to our brothers and sisters west of the river, who have not experienced the pleasure of Eid for many decades and continue to suffer the injustice of occupation and absence of justice. We greet them on this day and emphasise that we stand by their side and will continue to support them in their quest for their legitimate rights, especially their right to freedom and to establish their independent state on their national soil.

As for you, my dear Jordanians - the free and honest people - workers and farmers, students and teachers and employees, the brave members of the armed forces and security services, you are my family and a pillar of support. You are the source of my pride.

Our country is well, and we are on the right track to building the nation's future. We are confident that through our collective abilities and efforts, we can meet any challenge, achieve our ambitions and secure the bright future we want for our children and grandchildren.

We will continue reform, modernisation and progress in all aspects - political, economic, social and administrative - to achieve comprehensive development that will have a positive impact on people's lives and enable them to have the decent living they're entitled to by their country and society.

I am aware of the tough economic circumstances, and as I have said in the past, and as you always say, better to bear our own burdens than allow others to carry them for us. Work continues within a clear work plan to improve conditions and achieve the best for you and our country. I will settle for nothing less than the best for you.

I do not want to take up too much of your time, nor do I want to dwell on the challenges and problems facing us, because this is a happy occasion. I simply wanted to extend my greetings to you and wish you a happy Eid. I also want you to be sure that we are doing everything that can and should be done to meet challenges, overcome problems and improve performance. With God's help and your efforts and resolve, we will achieve our ambitions and noble national goals.

Peace, God's mercy and blessings be upon you.