Remarks by His Majesty King Abdullah II At the Closing 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 happy about the great achievement that has been made over these two days, and proud of the team spirit and sense of responsibility that prevailed over this forum. It has been a major reason for its success.

From the beginning, the objective of this forum was the achievement of a national consensus on unchangeable established principles, coming up with a comprehensive unified vision, defining the themes that we should prioritize in implementation, and agreement on the continuation of our serious, devoted work to realise this vision and goal, through the implementation of priorities, one by one.

The dangers and conflicts that I have warned about during our previous meetings are now before us, on the ground. To cope with regional and sectarian conflicts, we must strengthen and consolidate our internal front. All of us should work as one hand and one heart in confronting these dangers, by preserving our national unity, which is today at the top of our national priorities. I want everyone to know that our preoccupation with our national causes will not be at the expense of our commitment to our nationalistic and historic responsibilities toward our brethren in Palestine, Lebanon and Iraq; this is a natural continuation of our role as Hashemites throughout history.

I have worked for a long time, and I am still working to find a unified Arab stance concerning these challenges and dangers that now encircle this nation, so that the Arab role in the region will not be marginalised, thus curtailing all of our capabilities to extend support and assistance to our brothers in Palestine, Iraq and Lebanon.

Now we have one vision of what we hope to realise, over the next period, in the political, economic and social fields.

In the political field, there is agreement on the preservation of national unity, on enhancing the concept of Jordan as a country that reflects the moderate, mainstream Islam, believes in peace, coexistence, tolerance and intellectual and political pluralism, on inclusion in decision-making and building civil society institutions including national political parties that are capable of nurturing and consolidating the concept of national belonging and the importance of productive and efficient work.

Everybody should know that our aim is clear, and that there is no disagreement over it, except, perhaps as to mechanisms, ways and means to realise it.

In the economic and social fields, there is agreement and unanimity on realising our people's ambitions for a free, dignified life, and on the importance of providing opportunities for youth, for work, creativity and production.

Now, it is time for work, follow-up and achievement.

At the beginning, the government should lead this process, and I am sure that it will begin drafting the relevant laws and policies in accordance with the priorities you have agreed on. I am also sure that Parliament will be responsible and efficient in finalising the draft laws presented by the government to the next extraordinary session.

Other institutions - parties, professional associations, the media, the private sector and the rest of the civil society institutions - will also be guided by this national unanimity, and will play their roles in work and achievement.

I want to assure you that this spirit of cooperative work will continue in the future and that the immutable principles, on which there was consensus among you, will be the basis of all of our work.

In response to your request, a commission will be set up that includes representatives from government institutions and civil society. The We Are All Jordan Commission will be an advisory body whose work will not transgress that of our constitutional institutions, which I am the most keen to protect along with our Constitution. This advisory body will present periodical reports on the work being done and measure progress.

It is my hope that the deputies in particular, being the representatives of all our citizens, will convey to those who elected them, and to their constituents, everything that has taken place here, and everything that we do, whether for our people and homeland, or for our nation and our Arab brethren.

Again, I am proud of what has been achieved in this forum, and of the unanimity that was realised concerning the need to confront all forms of violence and terrorism, to adhere to the truth of Islam, which calls for peace, tolerance, mercy and respect for humanity, and every individual's right to live in freedom, dignity and security.

May God bless you all, and may God grant you good health; God willing, we will keep in touch.