A chip off the old block

He said he expected a 8220;calm and gentle8221; transition after the death of his father, who has been declared 8220;clinically dead8221;. Prince Abdallah said he was 8220;committed tosupport peace and stability in the region by backing efforts to achieve peace between Israel and the Palestinian national authority8221;.

Jordan voiced concern for the 8220;humanitarian disaster of the Iraqi people8221; but ruled out 8220;a rehabilitation of the Iraqi regime8221; at present. Turning to the domestic scene, he said there would be 8220;more support to the process of democratic transformation, political pluralism and freedom of expression, and more support for the institutions of civilian life8221;.8220;I have directives from his majesty the king and I will work to carry through his advice,8221; he said.

Whether the prince proves to be as adroit as King Hussein in navigating Jordan through the morass of Middle East politics remains to be seen, but he is said to have some of his father8217;s charisma and appears to have won the initial goodwill of the population.

Official framed portraits of the new heir have appeared in homes and shops across the capital and the support of the fiercly loyal armed forces appears assuredbecause of his military backround.

Prince Abdallah, King Hussein8217;s eldest son, was abruptly appointed crown prince on January 25 when the ailing monarch dismissed his younger brother, Prince Hassan ibn Talal, from the post for 8220;abuse of power8221;. Prince Hassan, 51, had served as crown prince since 1965 and his sudden removal after more than three decades as aide to the king came as a shock to much of Jordan8217;s 4.6-million population.

The future king is a career soldier who as commander of the elite Special Forces led a successful and televised storming of the hideout of two mass murderers last year, during which one of them was killed. He was promoted to major general in May 1998 from brigadier general, a rank he had held since 1994. Military officials close to the crown prince say he is a straightforward, energetic and hard-working man whose approachable nature commands the respect of subordinates.

Since his sudden appointment, the prince has presided over cabinet meetings andmet with a host ofinternational dignitaries, including US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright and Palestinian President Yasser Arafat. Prince Abdallah is also said to have forged strong friendships with the princes of the Gulf and a sizable number of Gulf dignitaries were among the well-wishers who visited Jordan to congratulate him on his appointment.A Jordanian official who attended some of the meetings with foreign leaders said the prince 8220;impressed us with his wide knowledge both of international affairs and his own country8217;s political and economic situation8221;. Like the monarch, Prince Abdallah is a qualified pilot and a keen race car driver. He is also a parachutist and frogman. Prince Abdallah married Rania al-Yassin, a Jordanian of Palestinian origin, in June 1993 and they have had two children: Prince Hussein, born in June 1994 and Princess Iman, born in September 1996.

Prince Abdallah, who was born on January 30, 1962, is King Hussein8217;s eldest child from his second marriage to Toni Gardiner, a Briton who covertedto Islam and adopted the name Mona al-Hussein when they married.

During the years of speculation on the line to the throne, many Jordanians believed Abdallah8217;s British blood would prevent King Hussein from naming him second in line to the throne. But the constitution simply requires the king to be 8220;a Muslim, born by a legitimate wife and of Muslim parents,8221; all of which apply to the blue-eyed prince.