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Around the World

Jordanians welcome new crown prince

The demonstration of support for Prince Abdullah - which included the king's brother, who was removed as crown prince Tuesday - underlined Jordanians' hopes that any transition of power will be smooth in the kingdom, a nation poor in resources and at the crossroads of a turbulent region.

The United States quickly signaled its support for the king's decision to appoint the 36-year-old heir to the throne. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright decided to stop in Jordan today to meet the new crown prince.

"We will stand by Jordan and hope this transition is one that does not create problems," she said in Cairo, Egypt.

Hussein abruptly returned to the United States Tuesday for medical treatment. The Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., announced yesterday the king was in "stable condition" but had suffered a relapse of lymphatic cancer after undergoing six months of chemotherapy.

"He is receiving treatment for a relapse of non-Hodgkins lymphoma. His Majesty immediately began treatment upon arriving at Mayo clinic," said a statement issued on behalf of the king's doctors.

Sources in Jordan, speaking on customary condition of anonymity, said Hussein might undergo a second stem cell transplant to try to fight the disease.

Hassan hugged and kissed Abdullah at the palace reception in Amman. Other well-wishers included military and government officials, members of parliament, businessmen, trade unionists, political party leaders, women activists and Bedouin tribesmen.

The heavy turnout underlined the support for Hussein's decision to remove Hassan, who lacks Hussein's charisma.

Prince Abdullah has so far tried to avoid any possible rift with his uncle. In a letter to his father, Abdullah hinted that he will maintain warm relations with Hassan.

"The Hashemites are my family and the source of my pride and I intend to keep love, mercy, selflessness ... amongst us," he said.

While yesterday's show of loyalty to Abdullah was reassuring to Jordanians, the king's illness was bewildering to many.

"The country is like an awakened volcano that is ready to erupt," said Shadia al-Tabari, 52, a homemaker. "I'm very worried about our beloved king without whom Jordan will never be the same."

Making it worse were rumors suggesting that Hussein had died already. Even the usual calls for Muslim prayers on radio and television brought tense moments, since some interpreted them as the Koranic verses broadcast to signal death.

Apprehension was also reflected on the Amman stock market, where share prices dropped by 2.27 percent. U.S. dollars, which Jordanians hoard at times of insecurity, also became scarce.

The nervousness is understandable. Jordan is a small nation surrounded by Israel, Iraq and Syria.

But Jamal Shaer, a former Cabinet minister, said he expected a smooth transition should Hussein die, with little opposition from Palestinians who make up roughly two-thirds of Jordan's 3.8 million people.

"Prince Abdullah is an army general who has a strong power base in the army and he has the support of the tribes because he is Hussein's son," he said.

Palestinians and members of Jordan's indigenous tribes have clashed in the past. In 1970, a rebellion by Palestinian guerrillas was put down by the army, which is made up of Bedouin tribes loyal to the king.

But now, the Palestinians who poured into Jordan with the founding of Israel in 1948, and again after the 1967 Mideast war, have become part of the country's fabric. Many are part of the merchant class and will support Abdullah.

Yeltsin doesn't plan to relinquish power

Yeltsin indicated, however, that he supports the idea of reaching a truce with the country's obstinate Communist-led parliament in order to preserve stability during national elections later this year.

"The president's fundamental position is that the Constitution enshrines the rights of all the branches of power, including the president," spokesman Dmitry Yakushkin told a Kremlin news conference. "He is not renouncing his rights and does not intend to."

But Yakushkin added, "We are entering the election year, and the idea is to hold the election on time and in a civilized way. ... Everything should be done to consolidate stability."

Yakushkin's comments appeared to be an attempt by Yeltsin to quash speculation that he is ready to agree to a truce with parliament in which he would give up some of his sweeping powers in return for legislative cooperation.

Yeltsin, who turns 68 on Monday, has been hospitalized since Jan. 17 with a bleeding ulcer - the latest in a string of illnesses that include heart trouble and what the Kremlin has called "nervous exhaustion."

The Kremlin released new footage of Yeltsin on Wednesday showing the president sitting stiffly in an armchair wearing a patterned cardigan and black pants. Yeltsin was seen - but not heard - chatting with Primakov, who met with the president at the Central Clinical Hospital.

01-28-99