http://www.boston.com/dailynews/313/world/Jordan_s_king_says_he_would_co:.shtml

Jordan's king says he would consider lending troops to anti-terror effort

By Beth Gardiner, Associated Press, 11/9/2001 18:06

LONDON (AP) Jordan's King Abdullah II said Friday that his country would consider sending troops to Afghanistan to help the anti-terrorism coalition, making Jordan the first Arab state to take such a position.

''I think we will be very clear: whatever it takes, we will be prepared to do it,'' he said in an online interview with the British Broadcasting Corp.

A number of Arab states, including Egypt and Kuwait, have offered to help Washington with intelligence on terrorists, but none has spoken of troops. Jordan is the first Arab country to say it would consider contributing forces to aid the anti-terrorism campaign.

Asked specifically whether Jordan would offer ground troops or special forces to the Afghan action if needed, Abdullah responded by saying any mission should have well-defined goals and a plan for achieving them.

''But if there is a particular role because there is a particular objective, I think that you'll find Jordan to be very open to any suggestions,'' he said.

Abdullah winding up a state visit to Britain that included a stay at Windsor Castle and a speech to Parliament emphasized that the threat to the international community came specifically from Osama bin Laden, the suspected mastermind of the Sept. 11 attacks on America, not from Afghanistan or the Afghan people.

''So I think you will see that the Jordanian government response will be very specific to that,'' he said.

Abdullah, a leading Arab moderate, has voiced strong support for the anti-terror coalition. Jordan's government has offered to contribute diplomatic support and intelligence, but neither Abdullah nor Jordanian Prime Minister Ali Abul-Ragheb had previously suggested they might consider a military contribution.

Jordan, the second Arab state after Egypt to forge peace with Israel, is an important ally of the West in the Middle East.

Abdullah's father, the late King Hussein, nurtured strong ties with the United States. Hussein's moderate policy, liberal outlook and warmth toward Israel won the hearts of Israelis and earned the king a reputation as a peacemaker.

At a briefing for foreign journalists Friday, Abdullah emphasized the importance of resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. He said the Sept. 11 attacks made it more urgent to end the more than 13 months of fighting.

''If we are going to, out of adversity, create an atmosphere of hope ... then we have to look at the Israeli-Palestinian issue,'' he said.

Both sides, he said, are so immersed in the conflict that they are unable to see beyond it.

''The conflict has gotten so much out of control that both sides are in the trenches and ... fail to see the bigger picture,'' he said. ''Both sides are frustrated, both sides are bloodying each other and at the moment, there doesn't seem to be hope. And we have to give hope.''

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-- Anonymous, November 09, 2001