Region at crossroads between polarisation and diversity — Prince Hassan

AMMAN — HRH Prince Hassan, president of the Arab Thought Forum, on Tuesday said that the key to achieving the new renaissance in the “Mashreq” is humans and human-centred policies, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

During a lecture at the Royal Jordanian National Defence College, Prince Hassan said: “We do not need treaties and agreements, but we need the spirit of partnership for development as well as prudent management to move our Arab people from a culture of survival to a culture of building and participation.”

“We are today at a crossroads: either towards more polarisation and hate speech, or empowerment, more active citizenship and fostered diversity,” he stated.

HRH praised Jordan’s “pivotal role” under the leadership of His Majesty King Abdullah and His Majesty’s “wise vision” of dealing with the various challenges facing the region.

He stressed that the Palestinian issue is the central problem in the region and called on the international community to upscale its efforts to resolve it in accordance with international law and legitimacy, pointing out that concrete efforts in this regard need to be sustained and not “mere reactions”.

Prince Hassan pointed to the close connection between Jordan and Jerusalem, and to Jordan’s historic role in protecting Islamic and Christian holy sites in Jerusalem, which is part of the Hashemite heritage since the time of late Sharif Hussein bin Ali.

He emphasised that maintaining peace and prosperity in the region requires the adoption of the most comprehensive and objective regional framework, maximising the public interest and keeping away from violence.

The prince called for regional coordination in dealing with the refugee crisis and for creating a knowledge base that includes geographic information. He pointing to the need to pay attention to the humanitarian needs of refugees, especially in light of the decline in funding for humanitarian organisations and agencies.