European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - October 22, 1990, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Apologia Amman edgy King Hussein assesses Gulf Issue by Judith Miller new York times he is Chain smoking again and says it is impossible to sleep More than four hours a night. To relieve the pressure he has taken to Riding around his Palace on a Bow motorcycle. Although his eyes sparkle at times he looks at others times As if he is carrying the cares of 200 million arabs on his shoulders. Since the Gulf crisis began King Hussein of Jordan has travelled More than 50,000 Miles and met with 15 National leaders to Avert a War that he warns would be catastrophic for the Region and for the West. Quot with or without War nothing will return to what it was Quot he says. A this will be an area of turmoil unless people face up to the need to create new dreams and new  now after 11 weeks he says that War May be imminent despite statements in Washington indicating that there Are still months of waiting to see if the economic sanctions against president Saddam Hussein of Iraq will work. If War comes the King says it will be partly because of failure by president Bush and other Western leaders to respond in time to signals from the iraqi Leader soon after his invasion of Kuwait that he was ready to withdraw from most of the occupied territory. The King a 54 years old and his 38th year on the hash emite throne a says he believes a peaceful end to the Kuwait dispute is possible but Only if there is a greater willingness to Compromise by the United states and its. Arab allies and what he called Quot an end to the current embargo on dialogue. A Quot a dialogue across the airwaves is not constructive Quot he said. If diplomacy fails he said his conversations with Saddam Hussein have convinced him that Iraq will fight. Quot if its a question of humiliation and surrender it wont work Quot the King said. Quot capitulation is  Back at his yellow Granite Palace in downtown Amman the King continues his diplomatic Campaign with King Hassan ii of Morocco and president Chad i Bend Edid of Algeria sending letters and messages Back and Forth Between Baghdad and other Arab capitals planning his next moves. He spoke at length about his efforts to prevent and later to contain the Gulf crisis the first time he has Given a full Public accounting of his actions. He disclosed that on aug. 2, the Day that Iraq invaded Kuwait he had been Given 48 hours by Bush to secure a commitment from Saddam Hussein to withdraw his troops. He said the iraqi president had promised to begin pulling them out if the Arab league did not condemn him a something it did do which led he said to the collapse of his Early efforts. The Kings mood often frustrated and angry was lightened by occasional burst of humor As he mused about happier times or watched the news on can. At one Point his spirits darkened he spoke of thoughts of resigning from the Post that Many regard among the most dangerous in the Middle East thoughts he said he had since put firmly out of his mind. Jordan was once regarded by the United states and other Western countries As the most dependable of the Arab nations. But the King has been distressed by the Way he and his country have been criticised since the Start of the crisis by the United states and its allies. They have deplored what they regard As his hedging on condemning the invasion a stand that the harshest critics say comes close to condoning Baghdad a actions. Old friendships torpedoed by iraqi invasion of Kuwait this was the scene in Baghdad on feb. 16,1989, at the birth of the Arab cooperation Council president All Abdullah Saleh of Yemen left Jordan a King Hussein and presidents Saddam Hussein of Iraq and Honsl Mubarak of Egypt. What made King Hussein a isolation particularly stressful he says is that he and Bush Are friends of Long standing. And he went out of his Way not to assail the United states. He was More critical of his former Arab allies. Of All Arab leaders he said president Hosni Mubarak of Egypt has disappointed him the most. The King said that he had helped bring Egypt Back into the Arab fold after its peace treaty with Israel in 1979, but that the move seemed not to have assuaged egyptian anger at having been excluded in the first place. At a meeting of Arab nations in Cairo in August the King said he had the feeling that Mubarak was Quot trying to pay Back Iraq for having led the Campaign against  Mubarak has been bitter in turn at Saddam Hussein for deceiving him before the Kuwait invasion by telling him that he would not take military action. The King repeatedly emphasized that Jordan has supported All United nations Security Council resolutions on Kuwait. He has however opposed the presence of . Forces in saudi Arabia something he said was neither anti Western nor pro Iraq. Quot i am pro peace Quot he said. Quot i have backed nobody except my conscience and the interests of All in peace and Security in this  but he also praised Saddam Hussein As Quot a Friend and a Royal jord amp to Iasi Tuff out picked any new winners this week your majesty Sass is monday october 22, 1990 new phenomenon in Arab  asked if he believed that Saddam Hussein a his namesake but no relation a was justified in having invaded part or All of Kuwait he seemed momentarily uncomfortable. Quot i honestly can to Tell but Given the leadership of Saddam Hussein i know it was not easy Quot he said. Quot i can t justify or condone but the reason must have been pretty substantial to have had it happen. Both sides i fear gradually succumbed to a conspiracy theory about the  the King seemed especially eager to rebut a conspiracy theory that has gained wide credence in Arab circles since the invasion a that Iraq Jordan and Yemen had been eyeing Kuwait and saudi Arabia for themselves and had been planning for months before the invasion to Divide up the Oil producing area among themselves. According to these accounts Iraq would have taken Kuwait securing its Long sought free Access to the Gulf Yemen would get part of disputed saudi territory and King Hussein who is revered As a 33rd generation defendant of the Prophet Mohammed would be restored to his family a traditional role As custodian of islam s most sacred Sites in saudi Arabia. He said that Jordan wanted Only peace and had not been forewarned about the events of aug. 2. King Hussein said however that Iraq s invasion of Kuwait could have been prevented through astute Arab diplomacy and that . Forces would not have been needed if the arabs had had enough time to resolve the problem themselves. And he said Washington s decision to Send forces to the saudi desert was made before the Riyadh government formally requested them and he said seemed ultimately intended not to defend saudi Arabia but to destroy Saddam Hussein. From his version of the crisis an extraordinary picture emerged of the world of Arab politics a a Milieu of secrets and conspiracies of lies and treachery of humiliations for him and other poorer arabs of duplicity revenge and broken promises and of dashed Hopes that he said had brought him to consider resignation. Recalling his experiences of recent weeks the King shed fresh Light on other aspects of the crisis. Among other things he said after the invasion Saddam Hussein had told him that he had decided Only late in july that military action was necessary. The King said the iraqi Leader had told him that he had decided to seize All of Kuwait instead of the part of the territory Long in dispute because he expected the United states to defend the Sheik Dom with Force and he believed he would be in a stronger position militarily and politically if he could eventually withdraw to a Point that left Iraq with the disputed territory Only. The stars and stripes a a a Page 13