Israeli PM said holding "secret" meeting with Jordanian king

BBC Monitoring ^ | March 09 2003 | Channel 2 TV

[knighthawk]

Text of report by Israeli Channel 2 TV on 8 March

[Announcer] We report this evening that Prime Minister Ariel Sharon has held secret meetings with Jordan's King Abdallah. Our political correspondent Udi Segal discloses the holding of these meetings. What was the purpose of the meetings, Udi?

[Segal] The prime minister, we have learned, met several times with Jordan's King Abdallah in the past year. The last secret meeting between the two was held about three months ago on Jordanian soil. This is a clear expression of the close relationship between the two, which is based on the premise that there are no surprises between Israel and Jordan, as least not between the leaders.

At the last meeting, according to my information, the two leaders discussed Sharon's plan for the Palestinian front on the day after a US offensive against Iraq. The two leaders also coordinated positions at the highest level prior to the war on Iraq.

[knighthawk]

Ping

[Arkie2]

My guess. Either coordination during the coming war to avoid potential confusion or longer term carving out a "homeland" for the Palestinians that would require cooperation between the two.

[Physicist]

Before September 11 screwed it up, there was very active trade and tourism between Jordan and Israel. Everyone's pretty much waiting for the U.S. to come and straighten things out so they can get back to making money.

[tom h]

"Either coordination during the coming war to avoid potential confusion or longer term carving out a "homeland" for the Palestinians that would require cooperation between the two."

Boy, I wish you are right. Do you have any reason to believe that this might be happening? If Jordan and Israel together proposed a plan I think it would take the wind out of the sails of most Arab a--holes.

[section9]

This is a longshot, but Sharon may have decided to undo the results of the Arab League's Rabat Summit of 1974.

Rabat was designed by the Saudis to neuter the Hashemites, then ruled by King Hussein. The Saudi plan was to formally recognize the PLO as the sole, legitimate voice of the Palestianian people. For King Hussein's part, he maintained that Jordan had governed the PA areas up to 1967 and claimed to be ready to resume that government after an Israeli withdrawl. Rabat stripped Hussein of any of that authority in a humiliation engineered by Riyadh.

Now, Sharon my be looking for a way to trump the Oslo process and the "Quartet" by dealing directly with Hussein's son, Abdullah. Sharon would also like to find a way to unload as much of the PA as possible while answering the security concerns of the Israeli body politic.

Things grow curioser and curioser.

Be Seeing You,

Chris

[Thinkin' Gal]

Reminds me of Lawrence's description of Abdullah I... "an intriguer".

[chance33_98]

Thanks for the ping! As we say here 'interesting...'. Got some interesting stuff for you BTW I will freepmail later.

[Simcha7]

Very Interesting!

We all know that Elvis2 has something up his sleezy sleeve.

Time Is Money...Look At The Clock!