Thank you very much.
Your Majesty, thank you for being with us today.
Very much appreciate it.
This is our second meeting since my inauguration, but our first at the White House.
A very special place, I can tell you that.
I've gotten to know it well.
Long hours.
Very special.
It's really an honor to welcome you here today.
But before we begin, let me say a few words about recent events.
Yesterday, a chemical attack -- a chemical attack that was so horrific, in Syria, against innocent people, including women, small children, and even beautiful little babies.
Their deaths was an affront to humanity.
These heinous actions by the Assad regime cannot be tolerate.
The United States stands with our allies across the
globe to condemn this horrific attack and all
other horrific attacks, for that matter.
Your Majesty, Jordanians are known for their
legendary hospitality, and we will do our very best
to be equally gracious hosts.
They're also known, however -- I have to say
this -- for their fighting ability.
And you are a great warrior, and we appreciate it.
Thank you.
The historical ties and close friendship between
our two countries dates back three-quarters
of a century.
In that time, the Middle East has faced many
periods of crisis and unrest, perhaps never like
it is today, however.
Through them all, America has looked to Jordan as a
valued partner, an advocate for the values of
civilization, and a source of stability and hope.
I am deeply committed to preserving our strong
relationship -- which I will -- and to
strengthening America's longstanding support for Jordan.
And you do have tremendous support within our
country, I can tell you that.
As we know, the Middle East -- and the entire
world -- is faced with one of its gravest threats
in many, many years.
Since the earliest days of the campaign against ISIS,
Jordan has been a staunch ally and partner, and we
thank you for that.
Jordanian servicemembers have made tremendous
sacrifices in this battle against the enemies of
civilization, and I want to thank all of them for
their, really, just incredible courage.
So many have been lost, and we pay homage.
So many.
In King Abdullah, America is blessed with a
thoughtful and determined partner.
He is a man who has spent years commanding his
country's special forces.
He really knows what being a soldier is,
that I can tell you.
And he knows how to fight.
The King has been a leader in calling for a plan to
defeat ISIS once and for all.
And I'm with you on that.
We're both leaders on that, believe me.
That's what we speak about today, and that is what
we are going to do.
And it will be a shorter fight than a lot of people
are thinking about, believe me.
We've made tremendous strides as we discussed.
As you know, we had a very, very fine delegation
come over from Egypt and also from Iraq, and they
said more has been done in the last six weeks than
has been done in years with the previous administration.
And believe me, we're going to keep it that way.
We will destroy ISIS and we will protect civilization.
We have no choice -- we will protect civilization.
King Abdullah and I also discussed measures to
combat the evil ideology that inspires ISIS and
plagues our planet.
In addition, we also acknowledge the vital role
that Jordan has played in hosting refugees from the
conflict in Syria.
We have just announced that the United States
will contribute additional funds to Jordan for
humanitarian assistance.
This aid will help countries like Jordan host
refugees until it is safe for them to return home.
The refugees want to return home.
I know that from so many other instances.
They want to return back to their home.
And that's a goal of any responsible refugee policy.
Finally, we discussed to advance the cause of peace
in the Middle East, including peace between
the Israelis and Palestinians.
And I'm working very, very hard on trying to
finally create peace between the Palestinians and Israel,
and I think we'll be successful.
I hope to be successful, I can tell you that.
The King has been a really tireless advocate for a
solution, and he's going to help me with that and
help me at the highest level.
And we will be consulting with him closely
in the days ahead.
King Abdullah, I want to take this opportunity to
thank you for your partnership.
Working together, the United States and Jordan
can help bring peace and stability to the Middle
East and, in fact, the entire world.
And we will do that.
Thank you very, very much for being with us.
(Applause.)
King Abdullah: Thank you.
Mr. President, thank you for such a kind and warm
welcome to the White House.
I fondly remember the meetings we've had many
years ago and, more recently, several months ago.
You've always been a generous host and have
always looked after us.
We are very delighted with the way the discussions
have gone so far, and we're delighted to be here
in such a wonderful setting on such a
beautiful day, which I think is a tremendous mark
of how we are going to move into the future.
We've had a very good round of talks today, and
I'm looking forward to continuing these
discussions later on in our meetings after the
press conference.
What I do want to say is how much we deeply
appreciate the close relations we have with the
United States, with you, Mr. President, and with
the American people.
This is a strategic partnership that we keep
very close to our hearts, and it is a partnership on
so many levels that we will continue, I think,
with the frank discussions that we had today to
improve on as we face the challenges of the future.
And I am very delighted for your vision, your
holistic approach to all the challenges in our
region, and to the dedication of your team in
being able to translate your policies into action
successfully, hopefully, as we move forward.
The challenges we face today are many and are not
exclusive to my region, as I've just mentioned.
They are global, and particularly the threats
to global security.
Terrorism has no borders, no nationality, no
religion, and, therefore, joint action with a
holistic approach, as I had just mentioned,
Mr. President, is crucial.
I am very delighted that you have the vision to be
able to move in that direction, and I think
that the world will be in a very good place as we
move with all these challenges ahead.
No doubt, with all the challenges that we face in
the world, the role of the U.S.
is key to all the issues that we have around the
world, but it's not just the fact that we should
expect the United States to do all the heavy lifting.
The heavy lifting has to be done by all of us in
the international community to support the
United States in being able to translate that
vision into the right direction.
So there's a lot of responsibility for all of
us in the international community to support the
President, the administration, and the
American people to bring brighter days to all of us.
We are very encouraged with the President's
determination to support Arab and Muslim states in
their fight against terrorism.
But it is not only the fight of terrorism inside
of our societies, but we, as Arab-Muslim states
standing behind the international community in
being able to defeat this international scourge.
In Syria, we need a political solution that
ends the conflict in the country and preserve its
unity and territorial integrity.
As the President mentioned, the issue we
discussed was the Israeli-Palestinian
conflict, which is essentially the core
conflict in our region.
And the President's early engagement as beginning in
bringing the Palestinians and Israelis together has
been a very encouraging sign for all of us.
And I think, sir, it was that initiative that
allowed us at the Arab Summit last week to extend
through the Arab Peace Initiative the message of
peace to Israel, which we all hopefully will work
together to make that come about.
All Arab countries -- we launched the Arab Peace
Initiative, as I said, last week.
It offers a historic reconciliation between
Israel and the Palestinians, as well as
all member states of the Arab League.
It is the most comprehensive framework
for lasting peace and it ensures statehood for the
Palestinians, but also security, acceptance and
normal ties for Israel with all Arab countries
and hopefully all Islamic countries.
So we appreciate your commitment in all these
issues where others have failed.
You will find a strong ally in Jordan in
supporting you in all your policies.
And if I may just say, as you have, on Syria and the
gas attack -- unfortunately, as you and
I both agree, this is another testament to the
failure of the international diplomacy to
find the solutions to this crisis.
But I believe under your leadership we will be able
to unravel this very complicated situation.
This has been ongoing for seven years now, has
descended into proxy wars from different parties
with dubious agendas.
But at the end of the day, as you pointed out,
Mr. President, it is the civilians -- women and
children -- that are paying the heaviest price.
This is happening on our watch, on our conscience,
as well as the global community.
And I know the passion and the emotion that the
President has expressed and how this should not
be tolerated whatsoever.
And this threshold of inhumanity and savagery
that are being crossed every day is something
that I know the President will not allow to happen,
wherever it may be.
And I fully support and endorse the President
in this issue.
So I want to thank you, sir, because you have the
outlook of looking not just at the Syrian
challenges but that of Iraq, Israel, Palestine,
Libya, and everything that is in our region.
So I think your message to all of us is a message of
hope, and that's what I take away
from this conference.
The President: Thank you very much.
King Abdullah: And I thank you for all that you have
done so far and all that you will do, sir.
(Applause.)
The President: We'll take a few questions.
Julie Pace.
The Press: Thank you, sir.
I have questions on Syria for both leaders.
But if I could start with you, Mr. President.
You've condemned the chemical attacks in Syria,
but you also appeared in your statement yesterday
to pin some of the blame on the
Obama administration.
You are the President now.
Do you feel like you bear responsibility for
responding to the chemical attack?
And does the chemical attack cross a
red line for you?
The President: Well, I think the Obama
administration had a great opportunity to solve this
crisis a long time ago when he said the
red line in the sand.
And when he didn't cross that line after making the
threat, I think that set us back a long ways, not
only in Syria, but in many other parts of the world,
because it was a blank threat.
I think it was something that was not one of our
better days as a country.
So I do feel that, Julie.
I feel it very strongly.
The Press: So you feel like you now have the
responsibility to respond to the chemical attack?
The President: I now have responsibility, and I will
have that responsibility and carry it very proudly,
I will tell you that.
It is now my responsibility.
It was a great opportunity missed.
As you know, I'll be meeting with the President
of China very soon, in Florida, and that's
another responsibility we have -- and that's called
the country of North Korea.
We have a big problem.
We have somebody that is not doing the right thing.
And that's going to be my responsibility.
But I'll tell you, that responsibility could have
been made a lot easier if it was handled years ago.
The Press: Before I move on to the King, could I
just quickly ask you if the chemical attack
crosses a red line for you?
The President: It crossed a lot of lines for me.
When you kill innocent children, innocent babies
-- babies, little babies -- with a chemical gas
that is so lethal -- people were shocked to
hear what gas it was -- that crosses many, many
lines, beyond a red line.
Many, many lines.
Thank you very much.
The Press: And, Your Majesty, if I could
ask about refugees.
Your country has really borne the brunt of the
refugee crisis in Syria.
The President has signed travel bans that would
block Syrians from coming to the U.S.
If that goes into effect, what would the impact on
your country and across the region be?
King Abdullah: Well, I think as the President
pointed out, most, if not all, Syrian refugees
actually want to go back to Syria.
And what we're working with the United States and
the international community is to be able to
stabilize the refugees in our country, give them the
tools so that, as we're working with the solutions
in Syria, we have the ability to be able to send
them back as a positive influence into their economies.
And again, the President and the Europeans are
being very forward-leaning in being able look after
our host community -- tremendous burden on our
country, but again, tremendous appreciation to
the United States and the Western countries for
being able to help us deliver that.
The Press: Your Majesty, how does the outcome of
the recent Arab Summit help the U.S.
in its policy to advance Palestinian-Israeli
negotiations?
King Abdullah: Well, as I said, our peace initiative
came out with a resounding resolution to offer peace
to the Israelis, to make them feel that they're
accepted into the neighborhood, and to be
able to support the President as he brings
both parties together.
And again, I have to remind people that very
early on there was an early engagement by the
President and his team to the Israelis and the
Palestinians to be able to see what he can do to
bring them together.
It is the core conflict for a lot of us in the region.
The President knows this.
He has his instincts in the right place.
And working with his team, our job, as I said, is to
do the heavy lifting.
The Arabs are prepared to do whatever they can to
bring Israelis and Palestinians together
under the leadership of the President.
The President: Thank you.
John Yang (ph).
The Press: Thank you, Mr. President.
I'd like to follow up on Julie's question and press
you a little more on Syria.
How will you distinguish your policy and your
actions on Syria from the inaction that you
criticized of the previous administration?
You say it's now your responsibility.
What should we see or what should we look for that
will be different?
And, Your Majesty, I'd like to ask you, what
gives you -- this is now your second meeting with
the President -- what gives you the optimism
that Mr. Trump will succeed in the
Israeli-Palestinian conflict where so many
others have failed before him to be a broker for peace?
The President: I like to think of myself as a
very flexible person.
I don't have to have one specific way, and if the
world changes, I go the same way, I don't change.
Well, I do change and I am flexible, and I'm proud
of that flexibility.
And I will tell you, that attack on children
yesterday had a big impact on me -- big impact.
That was a horrible, horrible thing.
And I've been watching it and seeing it, and it
doesn't get any worse than that.
And I have that flexibility, and it's
very, very possible -- and I will tell you, it's
already happened that my attitude toward Syria and
Assad has changed very much.
And if you look back over the last few weeks, there
were other attacks using gas.
You're now talking about a whole different level.
And so, as you know, I would love to have never
been in the Middle East.
I would love to have never seen that whole
big situation start.
But once it started, we got out the wrong way, and
ISIS formed in the vacuum, and lots of bad
things happened.
I will tell you, what happened yesterday is
unacceptable to me.
The Press: Can I follow up, sir?
Last year, you seemed to be reluctant to get
involved -- or to intervene in
Syria directly.
Is that one thing that's changed after yesterday?
The President: Well, one of the things I think
you've noticed about me is, militarily, I don't
like to say where I'm going and what I doing.
And I watched past administrations say, we
will attack at such and such a day at
such and such an hour.
And you, being a warrior -- you would say, why
are they saying that?
And I'm sure you sat back in Jordan, and you said,
why are they saying that?
I watched Mosul, where the past administration was
saying, we will be attacking in four months.
And I said, why are they doing that?
Then a month goes by, and they say, we will be
attacking in three months, and then two months, and
then we will be attacking next week.
And I'm saying, why are they doing that?
And as you know, Mosul turned out to be a much
harder fight than anyone thought, and a lot of
people have been lost in that fight.
I'm not saying I'm doing anything one way or the
other, but I'm certainly not going to be telling
you, as much as I respect you, John.
Thank you.
King Abdullah: Sir, I think, on behalf of the
President, what I saw was an early engagement by the
President and his team, with all of us in the
region, about the challenges between the
Israelis and Palestinians.
I had the honor of seeing the President and his team
again in January where this was discussed.
The President understands the nuances and
the challenges.
I think he has the courage and the dedication to
be able to do this.
Like I said before, all of us have a responsibility
to help the President push us over the finish line.
And so, his team had been in the region, they've
been talking to all the partners, and it is our
job to facilitate the atmospherics between
Israelis and Palestinians to move together, and give
the support to the President to be able to
smooth the edges over between Israelis and
Palestinians to achieve this.
And the President understands that if we
don't solve this problem, how are we going to win
the global fight against terrorism, which is his
number-one priority?
So this is a core issue that he understands, and I
think he has the commitment and he has my
full support for this, as he does from many, many
countries in our region.
The President: And I have to just say that the
world is a mess.
I inherited a mess.
Whether it's the Middle East, whether it's North
Korea, whether it's so many other things, whether
it's in our country -- horrible trade deals -- I
inherited a mess.
We're going to fix it.
Okay.
The Press: Thank you, Your Majesty.
You touch upon the subject now, but if I ask you to
look forward, how do you see the future of fighting
terrorism post-Raqqa and Mosul, especially the role
that Jordan will play in the eastern part of Iraq?
And do you believe the real battle will start then?
And if I may, Mr. President, you know
very well that the Iranian militias and Hezbollah has
been propping the Syrian regime for a while --
over a few years now.
Will you go after them?
What message will you give them today?
And will you work with the Russians to ground the
Syrian air force and to establish safe zones?
Thank you.
King Abdullah: Well, the first part is that we are
seeing, very recently, tremendous gains on the
ground in Raqqa and Mosul.
Again, I think, as the President alluded to, it's
very difficult to put timelines on this issue
because the battle space is always very fluid.
But I think that the war is being won on the ground.
Having said that, terrorists are on the move.
They'll be on the move inside of Iraq and inside
of Syria, so that we have to make sure that we adapt
our plans accordingly.
And they move beyond borders, beyond our
region and elsewhere.
So as we and the administration have
discussed, it's this holistic approach: How do
we fight them wherever they are?
And I think that is the understanding.
Terrorists have no respect for borders and
religions and people.
So it's the seriousness of how we do this holistic
approach that I've mentioned several times.
And what I am really delighted is that the
understanding by the President and the
administration in how to deal with this globally.
And I think you're seeing a move in the right
direction because the policy now is being
charted out, and my discussions with the
Defense Secretary and the Foreign Secretary allows
us to be then able to decide how we adapt
ourselves in the region to be able to come in line
with international diplomacy.
The President: The Iran deal made by the previous
administration is one of the worst deals I have
ever witnessed -- and I've witnessed some beauties.
It's one of the worst deals I've ever witnessed.
It should never have been made.
It was totally one-sided against the United States,
and, frankly, against much of the Middle East.
I will do whatever I have to do.
They have a deal.
It was, some people say, not done properly even in
the form of its finalization.
There was no vote from Congress.
There was no real ratification.
But I will do what I have to do with respect to
the Iran deal.
As far as ISIS is concerned, the United
States will work with whoever it's appropriate
to work with to totally eradicate ISIS
and other terrorists.
And, by the way, ISIS is one group,
but others have formed.
Frankly, they're all over the place.
We will do what we have to do to eradicate terrorism.
The Press: But, sir, I'm talking about the Iranian
militias in Syria supporting the Syrian
regime separate of the nuclear deal.
What message do you have for them today?
The President: You will see.
They will have a message.
You will see what the message will be.
Okay?
Thank you.
Thank you all very much.
Thank you.