FUTURE OF JORDAN

Press, Volume XCIII, Issue 27914, 10 March 1956, Page 9

FUTURE OF JORDAN

Arab Pressure On

Hussein

(N.Z. Press Association—Copyright)

(Rec. 11.30 p.m.) LONDON, March 9. General John Glubb, the dismissed commander of the Arab Legion, today listed two reasons which might have influenced King Hussein in ordering him out of Jordan.

uhJT? e “Tk St 4 S lar ?, ei -\ < ~ L pe , rs . ona ! one >” lhe General said in a le tei to The Times. The king is still young and enthusiastic and is intensely desirous to serve and benefit his country.

The tragic situation in which Jordan is placed, with oneVnn °-i 1 1 P°P u,ati ? n destitute refugees, and an active enemy on a 400-mile long frontier, convinced me of the necessity of caution.

“The King tended to favour bolder courses of action than I felt it my duty to advise, not that there was ever any open difference between us. King Hussein invariably treated me with kindness and indeed with cordiality.

“Our discussions were frank, but they revealed this difference in tone: I favoured caution while the King tended to favour a more enterprising policy. “The second factor which might have influenced the King is that of pressure by Egypt and Saudi Arabia. “These two countries have made no secret of their desire for my removal “But the Egyptian Revolutionary Government is ideologically opposed to monarchy and would form an extremely unreliable ally for King Hussein. “King Saud, at the same time, is a hereditary enemy of King Hussein for reasons of dynastic rivalry. “Egypt and Saudi Arabia are therefore unlikely t j prove satisfactory allies to Jordan. “King Hussein may indeed be in need of help against such friends, if his throne is to survive.” General Glubb then warned: “I cannot therefore avoid the impression that it would be a serie us political error to ‘get tough’ with Jordan at this stage. “Armed coercion is out of the question. and suddenly to cut off the subsidy would either destroy Jordan or force the King into the arms of friends who would almost certainly ruin him.” General Glubb said that since his arrival in England five days ago he had noted “with regret” a number of statements to the effect that Britons resented the manner of his dismissal. “While deeply appreciating the generous feelings expressed in Britain towards myself, I cannot avoid the fear that such feelings of resentment might well lead to unwise political decisions,” he said. “I feel that such decisions should be taken in an atmosphere of calm reflection and not under the influence of resentment.”