[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 29 (Wednesday, February 24, 1999)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E272-E273]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        TRIBUTE TO KING HUSSEIN

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. HENRY A. WAXMAN

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, February 24, 1999

  Mr. WAXMAN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor King Hussein ibn Talal 
al Hashem, a courageous leader and close U.S. alley who lent his 
stature as the Middle East's longest-serving leader to the service of 
peace. A wondrous achievement for any man, but even greater because it 
was accomplished after decades of struggle and at great risk to his 
standing among his neighbors and his own people. His death from cancer 
lost to Jordan a beloved king who brought stability in the face of 
great obstacles and lost to the world a man who in his final years 
worked tirelessly to leave behind a legacy of peace in his region.
  When King Hussein was crowned in 1953, the Hashemite Kingdom of 
Jordan was a collection of Bedouin tribes--today it stands as a model 
of stability in the region with democratic freedoms unknown to most of 
the Arab world. His 46 year reign was an astonishing feat of survival. 
King Hussein dodged at least five assassination attempts, numerous 
coups, the

[[Page E273]]

loss of a significant portion of his land, and, at critical points 
during his reign, miscalculations that sparked the ire of his Arab 
neighbors and the Western world. Yet he emerged in his later years as a 
wise voice for moderation in the region, using his wealth of experience 
and status as elder statesman to prod Israel and the Palestinians 
towards the ultimate goal of peace: a process which he had seen as 
necessary for the survival of his country and the region as a whole.
  King Hussein had come to realize that his country's survival was 
inextricably linked to the fate of the State of Israel. His years of 
secret talks with Israeli leaders facilitated what would eventually 
become the first ``warm'' peace between Israel and an Arab country. I 
had the opportunity to participate in the White House signing of the 
1994 peace agreement between Jordan and Israel, and was struck by King 
Hussein's courage in signing the agreement in the face of opposition by 
his Arab allies. The warmth of the handshake between the King and Prime 
Minister Yitzhak Rabin illustrated the genuine friendship that had 
grown between these two great leaders, and launched a relationship that 
should serve as a model for relations between Israel and her other Arab 
neighbors.
  Since 1994, King Hussein spent enormous amounts of energy to broaden 
the peace by bringing a settlement to the Israel-Palestinian peace 
process. During the Hebron negotiations in 1997 and again at Wye 
Plantation in 1998, the King's presence made the difference between 
success and failure. While undergoing cancer treatment last fall, the 
King put his health at risk by traveling from the Mayo Clinic to the 
Wye Plantation at the request of President Clinton, who knew that only 
the King could inject that strong dose of reality necessary to remind 
the negotiators of their purpose. Cajoling, and sometimes scolding, the 
participants, he urged them to look beyond their petty differences and 
accept the compromises that would bring a brighter future to the 
region.
  King Hussein will be remembered throughout the world as a man of 
honor, a man of wisdom, and a man of peace. I would like to express my 
sincere condolences to the family of King Hussein and the people of 
Jordan--your loss will be felt worldwide. I would also like to reaffirm 
our commitment to close relations between the U.S. and Jordan, and send 
my best wishes to King Abdullah, who has the strong support of Congress 
and the American people as he embarks on the leadership of his country 
and builds on the legacy of his father.

                          ____________________