Jordan's King Abdullah stated Sunday the problems in the Middle East go beyond the war in Iraq. "We could possibly imagine going into 2007 and having three civil wars on our hands," he said, citing conflicts in Iraq, Lebanon and the the Palestinian - Israeli conflict.
"Therefore, it is time that we really take a strong step forward as part of the international community and make sure we avert the Middle East from a tremendous crisis that I fear, and I see could possibly happen in 2007," he said.
Speaking on ABC's "This Week," the monarch said he remained hopeful a summit he will host this week in Amman with US President Bush and the Iraqi prime minister, Nouri al-Maliki, will somehow reduce the sectarian violence in Iraq. "We hope there will be something dramatic. The challenges, obviously, in front of both of them are immense," the king said.
"We have to make sure that all parties in Iraq understand the dangers of the ongoing escalation. I hope Prime Minister Maliki will have some ideas ... on how he can be inclusive in bringing all the different sects inside of Iraq together. They need to do it now," he said, "because, obviously, as we're seeing, things are beginning to spiral out of control."
The king spoke of the urgent need for a change in course in Iraq. "There needs to be some very strong action taken on the ground there today," he said. "I don't think we're in a position where we can come back and revisit the problem in early 2007. There needs to be a strategy. There needs to be a plan that brings all the parties together, and bring them today and not tomorrow."
