Jordan, 2013

It is an honour to join the Assembly

today. I congratulate President Ashe on his election and

sincerely thank the Secretary-General for his always

invaluable work.

Global security will long be shaped by what is

happening right now in the Middle East. Our region can

be and must be a house of peace and prosperity, with

strong pillars of good governance and wide-open doors

to opportunity, especially for our young people. That is

Jordan’s blueprint, and we are not alone.

But no house can be built when its city is burning.

And today, the region’s fires cannot be ignored. All the

world is in their path. To protect the future, our world

must respond. The Syrian crisis is a global humanitarian

and security disaster. Escalating violence threatens

to hollow out the rest of that country’s economic and

political future. Extremists have rushed to promote and

exploit ethnic and religious divisions. Such a dynamic

could crush regional renaissance and put global security

at risk. We have a duty to reject those destructive forces.

Last month, Jordan hosted more than 100 eminent

Muslim scholars from around the world. Their work

affirms the true teachings of Islam and builds on

Jordan’s long-standing interfaith and intra-religious

initiatives: the Amman Message, A Common Word,

and World Interfaith Harmony Week.

The scholars said that there was no single prescribed

model for an Islamic State, but they affirmed that the

modern Islamic State should be a civic State, founded

on institutions and with an inclusive constitution based

on the rule of law, justice and freedom of opinion

and faith. The modern Islamic State should uphold

equality across the ethnic and religious spectrum.

The scholars decisively condemned the incitement of

ethnic and sectarian conflict, known in Arabic as fitna.

They recognized that evil for what it is — a threat

to the Muslim world, the Ummah, and indeed to all

humankind. Jordan has called upon the Organization of

Islamic Cooperation to adopt those recommendations,

which are critical guiding principles amid the turbulence

and transformations across our region.

This month, we in Jordan also convened an

international meeting to address challenges to Arab

Christian communities. They are an essential part of

our region’s past, present and future. Jordan has been

a historic model of coexistence and fraternity between

Muslims and Christians. We will continue to do our

utmost to protect our Arab Christian communities and

minorities, and we call on all countries to join us in our

stand for diversity, tolerance and mutual respect.

The truth is that respect for each other is the way

forward for all of us. The historic transformation

going on in my region today will not be achieved by

formulas; it will come when all of our citizens feel

truly represented. Jordan seeks a house of the future

that includes all. We are building our future on the solid

foundation of majority consensus, minority rights, a

democratic culture of active citizenship and peaceful,

evolutionary change.

The Syrian people must also have a future. And

for that, the international community must act. It is

time to fast-track a political transition in Syria, end

the violence and bloodshed, neutralize the threat of

chemical weapons, restore security and stability,

preserve the unity of Syria and its territorial integrity,

and engage all — all — of its people in building their

country’s future.

Syria’s future will depend on the Syrian people, but

the world has the duty, the interest and the power to help.

And help must come soon. The damage and dangers

are mounting. The flow of Syrian refugees into Jordan

already equals one-tenth of our own population. It could

reach 1 million, some 20 per cent of our population, by

next year. These are not just numbers; they are people

who need food, water, shelter, sanitation, electricity,

health care and more.

Not even the strongest global economies could

absorb such demand on infrastructure and resources,

let alone a small economy and the fourth water-poorest

country in the world. Jordanians have opened their arms

to those in need, as we have always done, but I say here

and now that my people cannot be asked to shoulder the

burden of what is a regional and global challenge.

Let me acknowledge, with gratitude, the generous

response to date by the United Nations and regional and

international donors. But we can all see the reality on

the ground; the need is outracing the response. More

support is urgently needed to send a strong signal that

the world community stands shoulder to shoulder with

those who have borne so much. Those who are suffering

in Syria also need the world to be resolute: the Syrian

parties must abide by international humanitarian law

and principles, and allow humanitarian access, into and

within Syria, to reach those in need.

Our international community must also work

together for a speedy resolution of the region’s core

crisis. The Palestinian-Israeli conflict consumes

resources that are needed to build a better future and

feeds the flames of extremism around the world. It is

time to put this fire out.

The talks that began in July show that progress

can be made, with willing parties, determined United

States leadership and strong regional and international

backing. We commend the President of Palestine and

the Prime Minister of Israel for the bold decision to

resume final status negotiations. We urge them to

stay committed to reaching an agreement within the

established time frame. Let there be no actions that

can derail what is still a fragile process. This means

no continued settlement construction and no unilateral

actions that threaten the status quo in East Jerusalem

and its Muslim and Christian holy sites. Such threats

would be a flashpoint for global concern.

We know the right way forward. And the goal

can be reached. It includes a just and final two-State

settlement, based on international legitimacy and the

Arab Peace Initiative; for Israel, real security and

normal relations with 57 Arab and Muslim countries;

for the Palestinian people, at long last, the rights they

deserve in a viable and independent Palestinian State

on Palestinian national soil, based on the 1967 lines and

with East Jerusalem as its capital.

Let us keep the focus on what we are

building — communities safe for families to lead

normal lives; a Middle East of many houses, working

together in region-wide cooperation; the ultimate

security for our future.

The future is ours to build, not in the Middle

East alone, but in global partnership. Those who are

working to do the right thing need the whole world’s

support. With every country that is more prosperous

and free, with every neighbourhood that is safer, with

every person who has more reason to hope, the entire

house of humankind grows more secure. Let this be our

promise, not only for future generations, but for those

we serve today.