Jordan's King Abdullah II on Thursday affirmed his confidence in the ability of the Jordanian democracy to overcome the current crisis between the government and the parliament, and called for adopting dialogue and resorting to the constitution to solve it.

In an interview with the London-based Al Hayat newspaper, the King said that the issue of resolving parliament was not raised, and that this will never be a solution for this crisis. "Reform is our choice, for it is a national agenda and not an agenda for specific people," the King said, adding that he respects the stance of the parliament as well as the wisdom of the prime minister and his position. "I also appreciate the competence of the ministerial team, but what is important is judging the programs and not persons".

"I trust the ministerial team and its members are people who are known for their competence and honesty, and when they were chosen, I don't think that the issue of their origins was taken into consideration," he said.

Some 46 Jordanian MP's threatened to vote "no" in the up-coming Parliament vote of confidence if changes in the government are not made especially in the economic sector.

King Abdullah said that the Middle East is at a crossroad and this necessitates that its countries adopt an approach that leads to stability and deals with the problems of unemployment, poverty and tension. He noted that Jordan is aiming to spread democracy and help reform of all kinds in the region and urged all the people of the Arab world to join in the political decisions in their states.

© 2005 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)