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HMQN’s interview with Ed Gordon, MSNBC, Live, Washington, DC, 30 July 1998. Ed Gordon Intro: For 20 years, she has been an advocate for peace and women’s rights and now she has added the campaign to ban landmines to her list of causes. All of this on top of her official royal duties as the Queen of Jordan. Ed Gordon: This is the Arab world where women are most often seen on the sidelines quietly observing. But not Queen Noor. She is very much in the foreground even substituting for her husband when he was unable to attend an event. CLIP Queen Noor "King Hussein was unfortunately unable to attend this summit" [UN World Food Summit, Rome]. Voice Over Gordon: Queen Noor has taken on her husband’s quest for peace in the Middle East, supporting him in that struggle while also finding issues that she can call her own. Earlier this month, Queen Noor turned her attention to landmines in the Middle East, bringing together the largest group of survivors ever. CLIP Queen Noor [speech at Amman conference]: About ten percent of our population lives in areas still dangerous and economically unproductive because of landmines. Voice Over Gordon: All the while avoiding the obvious comparisons to Princess Diana, the first to put a famous face on the landmine cause, Queen Noor combines much of the same style as Princess Diana, dignity plus an American style of directness. But her approach will focus more on bringing experts and survivors together. In over two decades as Queen Noor, meaning "light", she has raised four children, assuming the role of parent and wife while also pressing for the causes that have meant the most to her, leaving home when necessary for women’s rights and other issues she cares about. CLIP Queen Noor [UN World Food Summit, Rome] "I urge you to keep the issue of rural women a high priority on national and international agendas." Voice Over Gordon: It’s been 20 years since the American-born Queen married King Hussein. Today, he is the longest-reigning king in the Arab world, surviving several attempts on his life and most recently medical complications. CLIP King Hussein / Voice Over Gordon: Earlier this week, he announced that he is being treated for lymphatic cancer. Over the past years, she has increasingly promoted the role of Jordan and closer US – Jordan relations while growing into the role as Queen in both the Middle East and the United States, her native soil. ON CAMERA INTERVIEW Ed Gordon: And Queen Noor joins use now here in Washington, out Washington studios. Your Majesty, thank you very much for joining us, greatly appreciated. Queen Noor: Thank you Ed and thank you for your interest in the issues that we’re going to talk about. Ed Gordon: Let’s talk about this particular issue, the issue of landmines. Three hundred thousand survivors of what clearly is problematic all throughout the world. Queen Noor: It’s true. In about 70 countries, there are still an estimated one million uncleared mines with another perhaps equal number in stocks. And those are killing or maiming people at the rate of one every 20 minutes and that’s an extraordinary statistic. Ed Gordon: Obviously, many people became familiar with the situation with landmines by virtue of Princess Diana introducing most of the world to it. Do you think, even with that, people understand the severity first of all that these mines can cause in terms of injury and at times death. And secondly, as we mentioned I suspect that people would be truly surprised at the huge number of survivors, as we mentioned three hundred thousand. Queen Noor: I don’t think people are probably aware of the .. they’re aware of the human face of the suffering, of landmine casualties simply by virtue of the visibility that the Princess of Wales was able to bring to the issue in her visits last year. I think that everywhere I go, people feel very passionate about this issue. So, I think there’s an awareness. I don’t think there’s a detailed understanding of what it requires to aid the survivors, to help them to reintegrate into their communities and how important it is that we universalize the Ottawa treaty, that we ensure that we have the 40 ratifications that are required for it to become international law. We’re almost there, we need another 12. [ed. PLEASE NOTE THAT QUEEN NOOR AND THE INTERNATIONAL CAMPAIGN TO BAN LANDMINES ANNOUNCED AT THE UNITED NATIONS ON THE 1ST OF OCTOBER 1998 THE 40TH RATIFICATION OF THE OTTAWA TREATY]. And that countries like the United States that can set a very important example in the world and who have a near-total ban already, commitment, could set an example by being one of those first 40 ratifications. [ed. PLEASE NOTE THAT THE UNITED STATES TO DATE HAS NOT SIGNED OR RATIFIED THE OTTAWA TREATY]. Ed Gordon: Let’s talk a little bit about the United States and their role in all of this. This is your native land as we said in the set-up piece. The idea that they have not officially signed yet, I’m wondering if that is a tad bit bothersome to you yet I know that you want to talk about some of the people here who have been in the fore to move this forward. Queen Noor: Well, I don’t understand why it hasn’t been signed though I have read most of the material. The reason I don’t understand it is the facts speak so eloquently, a hundred thousand American soldiers and civilians have been injured and killed by landmines in this century alone. And 34 per cent of American casualties in the Gulf War and 33 per cent in the Vietnam War were all landmine casualties and those landmines in Vietnam, for example, were 90 per cent US manufactured components. Plus you have a large number of extremely senior military personnel including General Schwartzkopf, former commanders of the joint chiefs of staff and of the key military positions around the world, who have come out publicly claiming that it is humane and militarily responsible to ban the use of anti-personnel mines. So, the United States has ample evidence from its own experience. It has Senator Patrick Leahy of Vermont credited with having achieved the near-total ban. But the United States has yet to go the step of signing the Ottawa Convention, which would, as I said, set a great example for the rest of the world. Ed Gordon: Your Majesty, I understand that through your relationship with the Clintons and in particular Hillary Clinton and of course Tony Blair, you are going to really try to as we say here in the United States of late "push the envelope" to make this happen, to make them get on board sooner than later. Queen Noor: I think the commitment is there on the part of many of these leaders. And there’s been a great interest, the United States has taken a commitment to ban the export of mines. One of the great bits of news is that of the 47 companies that to produce it here in the United States, 17 have renounced any further involvement – Motorola being one of them and I think they deserve a lot of credit. And I think the humanitarian demining promotion that the President and Mrs. Clinton support, which is also very evident in Great Britain – that this reflects a commitment on the part of these leaders. It’s getting the Congress, the Parliaments, the other bodies to perhaps recognize – and in this case perhaps the Pentagon in the United States as well – to recognize what these senior experienced military officers have been saying now for a number of years and going ahead with it and finishing it. Ed Gordon: How much trepidation, if any, did you have in getting on board with this? You knew that you were going to face inevitable comparisons to Princess Diana and I know that while you have said that you believe her work was great in what she did, yours was going to be slightly different to a great degree. But you knew that the shadow that she left was going to be there. Queen Noor: Well, I see myself in this issue as a partner with a multitude of people hopefully complimenting the work of NGOs and activists, people like Senator Leahy for example, the Landmine Survivors Network, which arranged Princess Diana’s visit to Bosnia, the ICRC – the International Committee of the Red Cross – that arranged her visit to Angola, and who have been key in this movement since the 1970s, the International Campaign to Ban Landmines, of course, the Vietnam Veterans of American have been very much involved in it and certain governments, European primarily, have taken the lead for the last many years in this campaign. So, I see myself as yet another partner. She was able to, unfortunately during a very short period of time, to focus popular awareness on this issue and that was great support to all the efforts that have been underway for so long. I hope that I can make some positive contribution as well. Ed Gordon: It’s important to note many have suggested including Ken Rutherford and Jerry White from the Landmine Survivors Network, that it would be almost patronizing to say that you’re getting on board after the fact because you have been very involved in this issue for a long time dating back to your days, I understand, at Princeton. Queen Noor: Well, I have been a concerned activist on and off over the years certainly since the Vietnam War. And meeting Vets returning with injuries, terrible injuries after the war and then moving and living in the Middle East, the region of the world with the highest military spending per capita in the world and the largest number of landmines in the world. And seeing for myself the impact of war and conflict and even landmines in an area, the human waste, the environmental damage and the economic waste – these have been very important issues for me for a very long time. Jerry White and Ken Rutherford came to me asking for special emphasis on landmines and I couldn’t resist because they make a very compelling case. Ed Gordon: Before we move onto another issue and before we leave, we’ll be giving a website [www.landminesurvivors.org] where people can go and get more information, what would you like to see the American people do in terms of rallying around this issue? Queen Noor: Well, one of the things that has been demonstrated by the International Campaign to Ban Landmines and the various efforts undertaken since the 1970s is that public opinion is key. That it is, the public awareness of this problem, that human face of this problem, as well as of the economic and environmental damage that are caused by landmines that can affect the policy making. And I think if Americans could look at the facts and write to their Congressmen and their Senators and try to influence the policymakers to join the Ottawa Convention progress to become a country that signs and then ratifies this treaty before the end of the year when we hope the 40 countries will sign, to set a moral example and to honor those who have lost their lives or the families of those who have become injured or killed by landmines in a way that ensures that it won’t happen to anyone in the future. Ed Gordon: You are taking on this venture at a time in your life where you are also taking on something personally that was announced recently, your husband announced, King Hussein, that he is battling cancer and the prognosis we are told is very good. Tell us a little bit about this health and how he is doing. Queen Noor: Well, the most important thing is that his morale is very good, that we have been very encouraged by the doctors and by his first treatment. He’ll have sic treatment cycles. The first one went extremely well and the doctors are very optimistic. It is a treatable form of lymphoma and his fighting spirits are intact, stronger than every and we’re going to see this one through, God willing. Ed Gordon: And tell me if you will what this thoughts may be, I’m sure to a degree he shared them with you, in terms of him having to battle this and the time away from the tenuous peace process in the Middle East, which he has been such a – on all sides – clearly called a great broker, in the want and attempt for peace there. Queen Noor: Well, he has been a soldier for peace all his life and that will continue throughout his life. He is very much in touch, very much involved and engaged with Jordan’s efforts to negotiate and mediate and to further advance the process of negotiations that are taking place and will continue to be as involved as ever regardless of where he’s located and whatever his personal circumstances may be. Ed Gordon: And does optimism remain? So often we take a look at that situation here and try to report on it and optimism wanes and grows. Queen Noor: By nature, thank God, we have been blessed with optimistic spirits and more importantly we believe and have faith in what is right, what is just will triumph over what is not and that the will of people in the region who yearn for peace, who are willing to sacrifice for peace, is the will that will eventually prevail. Ed Gordon: Well, Your Majesty, we thank you for your time. We know that it is very busy when you hit this side of the water and we greatly appreciate you stopping by and spending some with us. |
