SPEECH
BY SHRI K.R.NARAYANAN, PRESIDENT OF INDIA, WHILE RECEIVING CREDENTIALS FROM MR. NABIL TAWFIK
TALHOUNI, AMBASSADOR-DESIGNATE OF THE HASHEMITE KINGDOM OF JORDAN
NEW DELHI, DECEMBER 11, 2001
Excellency,
It gives
me great pleasure to accept your Credentials as the Ambassador Extraordinary
and Plenipotentiary of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. I warmly welcome
you to India and extend my sincere congratulations on your appointment
to this position of eminence and high responsibility.
India
and Jordan have had a centuries old interaction. These contacts have helped
to create strong and enduring affinities in the modern times. In the contemporary
era, we consider Jordan as a key country in maintaining peace and stability
in the region.
We in
India hold Late King, His Majesty King Hussein II in highest esteem. We
are all aware of Late King’s contribution to the Middle East Peace Process.
The economic development in modern Jordan owes a great deal to Late King’s
vision and statesmanship.
Excellency,
India greatly values its ties and friendship with the Arab world. India’s
commitment to the cause of the Palestinian people needs no reiteration.
India fully supports the efforts of President Arafat to achieve the inalienable
and legitimate rights of the Palestinian people to their homeland and
to establish their independent state through the path of dialogue and
peace based on the implementation of UN Security Council Resolutions 242
and 338. India has always believed that all the States in the region have
a right to exist within secure and internationally recognised boundaries
and that resolution of the Palestinian issue can only be brought through
a "two-state" solution and this very principle had determined our decision
to recognise the State of Palestine in November 1988.
We are
deeply concerned at the recent escalation of violence in the region. The
terrorist attacks have led to large number of casualties and injuries
to very many innocent people. We condemn such acts. We also strongly condemn
Israeli air attacks against the offices of President Arafat and other
Palestinian institutions. There can be no justification for such acts.
The need of the hour is restraint to break this cycle of violence and
hatred. We sincerely hope that nothing will be done to undermine President
Arafat and Palestinian National Authority as the alternatives are fraught
with dangers having serious implications for regional peace and security.
In our
view, the Mitchell Report and the Tenet Plan are means to enable the transition
from the current situation of intifada-related strife to the negotiating
table, where the modalities of ending the occupation and final status
issues must be resolved. And it is necessary that the implementation of
Mitchell Report is not impeded by unrealistic conditions.
Excellency,
the global changes witnessed after September 11 have been profound. These
events were the dramatic demonstration of the destructive power of terrorist
acts. Terrorist acts create a permanent disorder in a civil society. The
essential elements of civil society, namely, peace, democracy, individual
liberty, free thought, are the principal casualties of the acts of terrorism.
India has consistently sought to play a catalytic role in encouraging
the UN to prioritise the need for international cooperation to combat
terrorism. We see the recent Security Council Resolution 1373 as a signal
of the determination by the international community to combat terrorism,
whenever and wherever it occurs and we are committed to implement it whole-heartedly.
Excellency,
in recent years, our bilateral relations have taken a new dynamism. New
opportunities have been created on both sides. A great scope exists for
meaningful cooperation. As two old friends, let us join hands to fully
exploit the economic potential that exists.
May
I take this opportunity to convey my best regards and best wishes to His
Majesty King Abdullah II for his good health and prosperity and well-being
of the friendly people of Jordan. Please convey to His Majesty that we
are keenly looking forward to his visit to India at an early date. I am
confident that this visit will open up new vistas in bilateral ties and
will take the curve of our bilateral relations further and higher.
Excellency,
I wish you an enjoyable and productive stay in India and assure you the
fullest cooperation of my Government in your endeavour to further promote
Indo-Jordanian relations
Thank you
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