Jordanian King Warns of Sectarian Regional War

Local Editor

Jordan's King Abdullah said Syria's war could ignite a regional sectarian conflict unless global powers helped to convene peace talks soon, a pan-Arab newspaper reported on Wednesday.

King Abdullah also said "Palestinians could launch an Arab Spring-style revolt if they felt prospects for a peaceful settlement of their conflict with the Zionist entity had reached a dead end," the London-based Asharq al-Awsat newspaper said.
"It has become clear to all that the Syrian crisis may extend from being a civil war to a regional and sectarian conflict...the extent of which is unknown," King Abdullah said in an interview.

"It is time for a more serious Arab and international coordination to stop the deterioration of the Syrian crisis. The situation cannot wait any longer," he added.
The Jordanian monarch also warned against exporting the conflict to the wider region, saying that "fanning the fire of sectarianism in the Arab and Islamic worlds will have devastating consequences for generations to come and on the entire world."

"The sum of all fears is that the Syrian conflict could expand into a sedition between the region's Sunnis and Shiites."

Insisting on the need for a political solution that includes all sides in Syria, he said: "We cannot remain silent over attempts to tamper with the destiny of the region and its peoples by exploiting religion and religious schools for politics and use them as a means to divide people."

Abdullah said that efforts to convene a peace conference bringing together the Syrian government and the opposition remained "the logical and ideal way" to find a peaceful solution to the crisis.

In parallel, he welcomed efforts by US Secretary of State John Kerry to revive the "Israeli"-Palestinian talks, but warned of a narrowing window for so-called "peace" due to "Israeli" settlement building.

"Fading prospects of peace will explode relations between Palestinians and "Israelis" in a manner emulating the Arab Spring protests, either through a new intifada uprising or a new cycle of violence and counter violence," he said.

Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team