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Jordan
Will Not Help U.S. Attack Iraq, Jordanian PM
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| Jordan
does not allow and will not allow in the future that its land,
or airspace, be used to intervene in the affairs of Iraq, Abu
Ragheb |
AMMAN,
July 12 (IslamOnline & News Agencies) - Jordanian Prime Minister
Ali Abu Ragheb Thursday, July 11, called a press conference to deny a
stream of foreign press reports suggesting the kingdom could be used
as a launch-pad for U.S. attacks on Iraq.
"I
would like to stress that all these stories have no basis or truth to
them. We categorically deny them and I hope that this is the last time
that we deny" such press reports, Abu Ragheb said.
"There
are no American troops in Jordan. There aren't any agreements with the
United States about this," he said, adding that Jordan's position
has and always will be one of support for Iraq's sovereignty, Agence
France-Presse (AFP) said.
"Once
again we say that we support the unity of our brother, Iraq, as well
as its territorial integrity and sovereignty on all its land and we
call for non-interference in Iraqi internal affairs," Abu Ragheb
said.
"And
Jordan does not allow and will not allow in the future that its land,
or airspace, be used (to intervene) in the affairs of any country,
especially our brother Iraq," Abu Ragheb said.
In
1991, Jordan refused to join the U.S.-led coalition in the Gulf War to
drive Iraq from Kuwait and once again it is steadfastly rejecting
being drawn into any such scheme.
The
press reports have appeared in heavyweight newspapers like the New
York Times and The Times of London, which quoted Western diplomats
Thursday as saying Amman had consented to a limited U.S. presence.
Some
of the reports have suggested that forward bases for U.S. troops have
been set up in Jordan, in preparation for an invasion of Iraq, AFP
said.
Lebanese
daily Al-Safir said Thursday that Washington has held negotiations
with four regional states, notably Jordan, to use their territories
and air space for an attack on Iraq.
Apart
from Jordan, the United States has also been in contact with Qatar,
Kuwait and Turkey, it said, quoting diplomatic sources.
"Agreement
has been reached with Jordan to carry out a military plan for American
forces to enter Iraq overland" with the participation of 5,000
Jordanian soldiers, mostly members of the Beni Hassan tribe, it said.
A
U.S. force of 2,400 soldiers has already been deployed in Jordan,
two-thirds of them in the north and the rest in the south, said the
newspaper.
Al-Safir
said that Saudi Arabia, however, has ruled out any use of its
territory for an attack on Iraq.
"Everything
that has been written on this subject is the fruit of pure
imagination," Jordanian Foreign Minister Marwan Moasher told AFP.
"It
is not unusual for American troops to come to Jordan as part of
exchange programmes agreed upon with the United States for the
dispatch of experts," he said.
"They
come and go. It is part of routine military contacts between our
countries," he said, adding that Jordan also holds joint
exercises with troops from France and Britain.
"But
I categorically deny that these exercises, or that the presence of
U.S. troops (in Jordan) is related closely or distantly to Iraq,"
Moasher said.
Both
Moasher and Abu Ragheb have met in recent days with Iraqi ambassador
Sabah Yassin, and Moasher invited the ambassador to visit Jordanian
military bases to see for himself that no U.S. troops are on the
ground.
They
also recalled that Jordan's King Abdullah II has warned repeatedly
that any U.S. military action against Iraq before a solution to the
Middle East crisis is found would have "devastating"
repercussions for the region.
A
Western diplomat based in Amman told AFP that Jordan could not afford
to be drawn into any action against its neighbor.
"A
large part of the Jordanian population is very pro-Iraq and at the
same time is concerned by the gravity of the situation in the
Palestinian territories," he said.
"An
attack on Iraq will fuel antagonism towards the United States and
against any Arab regime that helps them in this task," he added,
warning that Washington would be putting Jordan, a key Arab ally, in a
high-risk situation.
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