Jordan gets trade deal, Bush gets a coalition ally

09/29/2001

By DAVID JACKSON / The Dallas Morning News

WASHINGTON – King Abdullah II of Jordan, a key player in President Bush's anti-terrorism coalition, visited the White House on Friday, but terrorism was only one of the topics.

Hours before meeting with the king, Mr. Bush signed a long-developed free-trade agreement with Jordan, underscoring the proposition that coalition building is all about give and take.

Shortly after praising "the cooperation we have in fighting terror," Mr. Bush gave King Abdullah "a welcoming gift" – the pen he used to sign the free-trade pact.

"At long last, we have, together, accomplished one of your main objectives in terms of economic cooperation," Mr. Bush told the king.

White House officials denied any kind of explicit deal-making, noting that the Jordan free-trade agreement has been in the works for more than two years.

But the Senate – dealing with all kinds of fallout from the terrorist attacks – found time to approve the trade agreement on a voice vote two weeks after the Sept. 11 carnage.

Officials also said the United States is happy to help countries that help it – especially now.

"The core values of American foreign policy remain the same," an administration official said. "The president has said fighting terrorism is a core American value."

Analysts have noticed a pattern as Mr. Bush forges his coalition to go after Osama Bin Laden and other people suspected of terrorism. .

"I think what's going on is a very sudden emergency mode of diplomacy," said Chester A. Crocker, a former State Department official who teaches at Georgetown University in Washington.

As the United States sought help from Pakistan and India for a possible strike at Afghanistan, Mr. Bin Laden's base, the administration recently lifted sanctions stemming from Pakistani and Indian experiments with nuclear weapons in 1998.

After Russian President Vladimir Putin endorsed Mr. Bush's war on terrorism – to the point of offering weapons to opposition leaders in Afghanistan – the Bush administration altered its statements on Mr. Putin's battles with rebels in Chechnya, publicly urging the rebels to cut their ties to suspected terrorists.

Again, White House officials said there is no explicit quid pro quo. They said that the government had been thinking of easing the nuclear sanctions for a while, and that the United States has always advocated peace between the Russians and Chechnyans.

White House spokesman Ari Fleischer said most countries are eager to band together against terrorism because they know that all are at risk.

"Clearly, it's the dominant event," Mr. Fleischer said. "And it propels people to join with us."

King Abdullah, while accepting Mr. Bush's pen, said nothing about free trade and focused instead on terrorism.

"It's in difficult times like this that true friends must stand with each other," King Abdullah said. "And we'll be by your side and we'll be there to support you."

Analysts noted that several members of the international coalition against terrorism have received new assistance.

Turkey, which has offered air space for American military planes, is the recipient of new aid from the International Monetary fund.

The United States also backed a decision by the United Nations to lift sanctions against Sudan, a country that – although accused of sponsoring terrorism in the past – recently rounded up suspects in connection with the attacks on America. Sudan is also the former base of Mr. Bin Laden.

Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak also has pledged to help, but has suggested that he would like the United States to take a more active role in the Middle East peace process.

There are potential pitfalls with this kind coalition building, analysts said, especially if more countries with competing interests sign up. That could inhibit future American action, they said.

"The coalition should be a means of winning the war – it shouldn't get in the way of winning the war," said William Kristol, editor and publisher of The Weekly Standard, a conservative magazine based in Washington.

But in a war like this, analysts said, the United States needs all the friends it can get.

Said Mr. Crocker: "The only thing worse than having allies is not having allies."