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Jordan Denies Report on Hosting U.S. Troops for Planned Iraq Invasion
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| U.S. soldiers and CIA agents have landed in Iraq with help from Jordan, paper
Saturday June 29, |
AMMAN, June 29 (IslamOnline & News Agencies) - Jordan vehemently denied Saturday, June 29, 2002, an Arab newspaper report that dozens of U.S. troops and intelligence services have been sent into Jordan under a plan to overthrow Iraqi President Saddam Hussein.
"The information is totally false. Nothing that was written is true, there is not a single American soldier on the Jordanian territory," Jordanian Foreign Minister Marwan Moasher told Agence France-Presse (AFP).
In a front-page story datelined London, Lebanon's As-Safir newspaper said Saturday forward bases for U.S. troops had been set up in Jordan, in preparation for an invasion.
"Jordanian King Abdullah has given orders to clear two military airports in Jordan for the U.S. forces. About 2,000 U.S. troops have been deployed in Jordan so far," it said.
The paper quoted "well informed diplomatic sources" as saying Washington "has launched a security and military operation in Iraq."
"Dozens of those U.S. soldiers, along with CIA agents, have been sent into Iraqi territory," it added.
Central Intelligence Agency chief George Tenet had "personally visited northern Iraq during his last tour of the region and had given orders to start the security plan after US President George W. Bush (recently) approved a decision to ask the CIA to overthrow ... Saddam," the sources said.
The Lebanese daily said the U.S. had started a "flurry of contacts with various forces among the Iraqi opposition, and there are great difficulties in forming a coalition similar to the 'Northern Alliance' in Afghanistan, AFP reported.
"Intensive contacts are being held with both the Kurdish and Shiite opposition in order to establish springboards for potential operations," they said.
The sources added that Washington had first approached Saudi Arabia, which "refused to let its territory be used for any military attack against Iraq.
"It seems that discussions moved to other countries in order to reach an agreement on the possibility of using their territory in case it is needed," they said.
"The United States has drawn a plan for an emergency economic assistance to Jordan in case its economic and trade relations with Iraq suffer a crisis," they added.
Meanwhile, a top Shiite opposition group met with the U.S. to oppose foreign intervention in the toppling of the regime, AFP said.
The main Iraqi Shiite Muslim opposition faction has held talks with the United States on toppling the regime of Saddam Hussein, the group's leader said in remarks published Saturday.
Ayatollah Mohammad Baqer Hakim, head of the Iran-based Supreme Assembly for the Islamic Revolution in Iraq (SAIRI), told Al-Hayat newspaper there had been an "exchange of views" with Washington in case of "U.S. military intervention in Iraq.
"Dialogue took place with 14 members of the U.S. Congress who came to Britain" for talks with SAIRI representatives "as well as U.S. State Department officials," Hakim said.
"Information in our possession confirms that the United States is serious in its plan to change [the Iraqi regime], but the manner and date are not clear," he said.
Hakim stressed that SAIRI had "received no support from the United States," and that any regime change in Baghdad "should be made within the framework of the United Nations and its resolutions."
"We must count on the Iraqi people and not on foreign forces," he said.
United Nations mandates forbid foreign intervention in the overthrowing of regimes and favor promoting democracy by allowing domestic players to exercise their right to choose their own governments. U.N. mandates are rigid about issues concerning the sovereignty of nations and assert that all member countries adhere to the mutually drafted rules.
However, the U.S. has repeatedly stated its intentions to overthrow Saddam Hussein. Bush has also given the CIA the green light to take Hussein out by force, including via activity that would result in his assassination - which directly defies UN regulations that forbid member countries from setting out to kill heads of state and/or governments.
Earlier, Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon was slammed for similar remarks he made about “liquidating” Palestinian Authority head Yasser Arafat.
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