Mr. Speaker, I also rise today to join with other hon. members in paying tribute to Jordan's King Hussein, a remarkable man who led a remarkable country for 47 years.
Today we also pay our respects and send our condolences to Queen Noor, and to King Abdullah, King Hussein's son who now takes up the heavy mantle of leadership, and to all the people of Jordan who today mourn the loss of a friend.
What is the difference between a politician and a statesman? I think King Hussein helps define that answer, for during his long tenure he demonstrated time and time again the courage and the wisdom that made him a legend in his own time.
As the funeral proceeded this morning, it was evident that the King's greatest skill, that of bringing together people who differ and differ profoundly, will be his greatest legacy, that even in death King Hussein was able to make the lion lie down with the lamb.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu paid his respects along with two former Israeli prime ministers and the widow of Yitzhak Rabin. They attended, just as did Yasser Arafat and Syria's President Assad. Four U.S. presidents were there, as were the president and prime minister of Russia. That was the kind of man King Hussein was, a man who believed in peace and brought together others who saw the possibility of peace.
It is difficult to be a modern, moderate, peace loving man in the Middle East but King Hussein excelled at that difficult task. He was a bridge between the Arab world and Israel. He was a bridge between the west and the east. He was among the first to invest in peace in the region, to take his place among the peacemakers, not the war makers. He did so at great personal risk but that risk paid off. It is not an exaggeration to say that much of the progress, what progress has been made with respect to Middle East peace, would not have been possible without his moral leadership and example.
On behalf of the official opposition and all Canadians, I pay tribute to a great king. May God sustain and guide his successor along the same path.