OFFICIAL VISIT TO JORDAN
The President of the Republic, Milan Kucan, returned from a three-day official visit to Jordan today. During this first official visit of a Slovenian head of state to an Arab country, President Kucan met with Jordan's King Abdullah II, addressed representatives of the Jordanian business sector, and visited the ancient city of Petra

Ljubljana, 5 March 2002


The President of the Republic, Milan Kucan, returned from a three-day official visit to Jordan today. During this first official visit of a Slovenian head of state to an Arab country, President Kucan met with Jordan's King Abdullah II, addressed representatives of the Jordanian business sector, and visited the ancient city of Petra.

At the forefront of the talks President Kucan held with his host the evening of the first day of the visit was the new "Land for Peace" initiative for resolving the Palestinian-Israeli dispute put forward by the Saudi Crown Prince. "The time will probably come when both sides can step back from their maximum demands. No one can have everything. All of them, however, can have peace," President Kucan commented the initiative for the Slovenian media following the talks.

Bilateral relations were also among the topics discussed. Both sides assess political relations as good, with many unutilised opportunities for economic co-operation. President Kucan and his host King Abdullah II believe that small states could co-operate with particular success on technological development projects and in the application of new technologies in education.

Slovenia and Jordan are both regarded as stable countries in their respective regions, President Kucan stated for the press, expressing his regret over Slovenia not being more firmly anchored in the Arab world. Eleven years into its independence, a period Slovenia spent focusing on internal issues, transition, relations with its neighbours, establishing itself in the Central-European arena and achieving recognition in world, there is now sufficient reason in the President's opinion for Slovenia to assume a broader perspective. It already successfully outlined such an approach during its tenure as a non-permanent member of the UN Security
Council. This is particularly important in the light of September 11, as global interdependence and a common responsibility for the world are growing increasingly clear, believes President Kucan. The President also introduced the BledNet initiative for the establishment of a World Ethical Collegium to the King of Jordan.

Jordan deserves our admiration as it is striving to appease the crisis situation in the region and continuously supports the Middle-Eastern peace process, believes President Kucan. Because of the similarities between the countries and its strategic position, Jordan could well serve as a springboard for Slovenia's political and economic opening up to the Arab world. Today, in the President's opinion, maintaining one's identity solely within the boundaries set by European integration structures is no longer sufficient. A Slovenia established also elsewhere in the world would better its chances of preserving its identity within European structures.

The President of the Republic invited king Abdullah II of Jordan for an official visit to Slovenia, which the host gladly accepted.