— Photo: V.V. Krishnan

ROYALTY IN TOWN: King Abdullah II Bin Al-Hussein of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan and Her Majesty Queen Rania Al Abdullah on their arrival in New Delhi on Thursday.

NEW DELHI: The "core conflict" in West Asia continues to be fuelled by the denial of Palestinian rights and sovereignty, Jordan's King Abdullah II said at the Indian Council of World Affairs (ICWA) on Thursday evening.

"This ongoing crisis is the cause of immense suffering and violence. And today, it is contributing to a deepening regional instability. Violence and conflict have become the norm for the region. They are increasingly frequent and destructive," he said.

Rebuilding trust

"We must reverse this dangerous trend. We must rebuild confidence in peace," he said, calling for the creation of a Palestinian State that would allow for comprehensive regional peace, including "full normal relations" and security guarantees between all Arab nations and Israel.

King Abdullah II argued that ongoing conflicts in the region were not only sources for human tragedy, but breeding grounds for extremism and terror, which had spread across the world and undermined global security.

Political horizon

The Jordanian leader said that to restore confidence, Palestinians and Israelis had to have a political horizon, which gave them hope to overcome their distrust and fear.

"All this will require support from Arab countries, the Quartet of major powers, and leading nations like yours. Delay and failure will have unimaginable consequences for all our countries. Success will have global benefits, closing one door of opportunity to extremists."

The King, who recently warned of civil wars in Iraq, Palestine and Lebanon, described the situation in Iraq as acute.

"This crisis, too, calls urgently for international cooperation — to stabilise the country, engage all communities in the peace process, and rebuild a sovereign, unified and stable Iraq."

King Abdullah II, who will hold talks with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Friday, also hoped that India and Pakistan would be able to peacefully resolve the "problem" of Jammu & Kashmir.

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