Mr TIM FISCHER (3:18 PM) —It is a privilege to add to the remarks of the Prime Minister and the Leader of the Opposition, because King Hussein of Jordan served in that position for nearly half a century during one of the most turbulent and difficult periods in the history of the Middle East and in the history of Jordan.

It is a privilege to visit the modern, magnificent city of Amman. It is, in itself, a salute to the modernity of King Hussein, to his leadership of Jordan and to the opening up of its economy. Australia enjoys rather modest trade—around $100 million—with Jordan, but it is a relationship that is growing, and I salute the further links being made almost every month between Australia and Jordan.

First and foremost, however, King Hussein will be remembered as the architect and protector of his nation and as an open leader whose priority was always the welfare of his people. He visited Australia in 1976, and his interest in a bilateral relationship has continued to grow and strengthen from that time.

It has been often enough said in this last fortnight that he made a massive contribution to peace in the Middle East. What has not been stressed is the particularity of his contribution to peace in the Middle East. It was not just the signing of instruments between Jordan and Israel; it was something a whole lot more than that. It was cutting right through to build trade, investment, tourism between Jordan and Israel, to provide a glue—an onward momentum—rather than just the formality of peace, and so build confidence in the linkages.

Today you can travel direct from Masada in Israel to Petra in Jordan whereas, until the leadership provided by the King of Jordan and his opposite numbers at the time in Israel, you often had to backtrack as far as Athens or even London, to cross over and come back through, to make that linkage—which is almost within sight—between Masada and Petra.

I especially salute the warm peace that he created and the efforts he made to see that peace in the Middle East and peace between Jordan and Israel had real momentum attaching to it—a momentum which created benefits and betterment for the people of the Middle East.

I wish the new King of Jordan, King Abdullah, every success for a smooth transition to power, and with his workload as he takes up the cudgels filling the big footsteps of his father. I particularly join with the Minister for Foreign Affairs in extending sympathy on this very sad occasion to the people of Jordan. I am very confident that the links between Australia and Jordan will continue to expand and build at the start of the new millennium.