‘Unwavering support’

The intellectual and smart answers His Majesty King Abdullah gave in response to the sneaky questions of CNN’s Wolf Blitzer last week deserve a pause and a serious in-depth look.

We often see British politicians managing to dodge a smart question with an ambiguous answer.

Not King Abdullah. He immediately embraces the question, and provides direct answers.

Yes, he said to the question on the 14,000 Syrian refugees stranded on the Jordanian border, waiting to be allowed entry.

The diplomatic pressures directed at Jordan to speed the process of security checks did not make Jordan budge from its firm security standards.

These refugees came all the way from cities in northern Syria (Raqqa, Deir Al Zor and Idlib), walking through dangerous terrain all the way to the southern borders of Syria. Why they took that risk instead of going to Turkey or Iraq is not clear.

They escaped from areas that have been for a long period under Daesh control. To allow them in without rigorous checks would compromise Jordan’s security.

There is no way that Jordan would allow an Istanbul-style attack to occur. The King was clear on that.

His Majesty was also frank about Jordan’s relations with Saudi Arabia. He did not stop to criticise the illegal attack on Saudi diplomatic missions in Tehran and other cities, but declared his assertive support for the Saudi kingdom.

The execution of the 47 dissidents was considered an internal affair carried out within the jurisdiction of Jordan’s brotherly neighbour, ally and partner.

On the issue of Syria’s future, His Majesty said he could not see a unified and fully integrated Syria under President Bashar Assad.

Jordan sees its strategic interest being served by keeping Syria’s unity intact. Many atrocities have been committed under Assad’s watch, and his current status is indefensible.

His Majesty, in his carefully picked words, reprimanded Blitzer’s insistence on getting a negative comment on Donald Trump’s proposal to deny all Muslims entry into the US until proper screening and security arrangements are adopted by the US legislative and executive branches.

Blitzer was reminded that he should not ask a foreign leader to comment on a case that has become a partisan campaign issue in the United States.

The seasoned answers and razor-sharp responses leave no doubt that the King is a major power in the world war against terrorism. He is a man with a great vision, and always plugs his ideas where they belong in a neatly drawn architecture.

When the Jordanian government was struggling to get the 2016 budget law passed in Parliament, the King was bridging the domestic confidence divide.

His Majesty is a master of diplomacy. He has our deep, undivided admiration and unwavering support.

Any Jordanian will say that loud and clear.

The writer, a former Royal Court chief and deputy prime minister, is a member of Senate. He contributed this article to The Jordan Times.