Jordan, U.S. Begin Joint War Games, Jordan's King Meets Saudi Crown Prince

AMMAN, August 12 (IslamOnline & News Agencies) - Jordanian and U.S. troops have begun their annual round of joint military exercises with the arrival of U.S. forces Monday, August 12. Meanwhile, Jordan's King Abdullah holds Mideast talks with Saudi Crown Prince in Jeddah.

A U.S. embassy spokesman told Agence France-Presse (AFP) troops from both countries "began on August 12 routine, annual exercises code-named Infinite Moonlight following the same pattern of past" war games conducted by Jordan and the United States.

Jordanian government spokesman Mohamad Adwan said in a statement carried by the official Petra news agency that the joint exercises were taking place in the south of the country.

"A unit of the Jordanian armed forces is undertaking joint exercises with an American unit as part of the annual training program implemented with the armies of several brotherly and friendly countries," he said.

Adwan, also information minister, stressed that the U.S. troops "will leave the country at the end of the joint exercises".

Jordan conducts similar war games each year with other Western and Arab countries, including France, Britain, Italy, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Oman and Yemen "to exchange experiences and learn from them," Adwan said.

Adwan and the U.S. embassy spokesman did not give details on the number of troops involved in the war games or the type of weapons and exercises that will be conducted.

Earlier Monday an official source told AFP that around 4,000 U.S. troops would be holding various maneuvers with Jordanian soldiers for three weeks, after their disembarkment in the southern port of Aqaba.

The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, stressed that the exercises are not linked with any eventual U.S. attack on Iraq.

"These maneuvers were decided more than a year ago and are part of regular exercises between the armies of the two countries that have nothing to do with Iraq," the official said.

"Every single U.S. soldier taking part in the maneuvers will leave Jordan at the end of the exercises in the first week of September," the official added.

He also stressed that the presence of U.S. troops in Jordan has a "positive affect on the (cash-strapped) economy because of their spending" especially in Aqaba, 350 kilometers (217 miles) south of Amman.

Jordan is one of Washington's key Arab allies but is staunchly opposed to a rumored U.S. strike on its eastern neighbor Iraq.

Jordanian officials have repeatedly denied Western and Arab press reports on the presence in the kingdom of U.S. troops in preparation for such an attack.

They have also stressed that no exercises with the U.S. army have been held near the Iraqi border.

A U.S.-Jordanian joint military commission had been set up in 1974 between the two countries and over the past few years troops have held the annual Infinite Moonlight exercises in the southern desert.

In the past U.S. marine and navy troops took part in the maneuvers that include helicopter and mechanized assault exercises as well as live-fire drills and "fake" enemy attack scenarios.

Jordan is a key recipient of .U.S economic and military aid.

Washington has earmarked 150 million dollars for Amman in economic assistance for 2002 as well as 75 million dollars in military aid.

In March, U.S. President George W. Bush also asked Congress to approve an additional 100 million dollars in economic and development aid to Jordan for the 2002 fiscal year.

Meanwhile, Jordan's King Abdullah II arrived in the Red Sea city of Jeddah on Monday for talks with Saudi Crown Prince Abdullah focused on the Palestinian territories and Iraq, an official source said.

The Jordanian monarch and Crown Prince Abdullah reviewed "the massacre (of the Palestinians), the blockade, the destruction of facilities and the incursions into Palestinian territories, as well as efforts to bring a fair settlement in the region," the official SPA news agency said.

They also examined the "situation in the Arab and Islamic world and bilateral cooperation," SPA said.

The Jordanian ambassador to Riyadh, Hani Mustafa Khalifa, told AFP King Abdullah would also review the "situation in Iraq in light of threats of strikes" by the United States.

A court official in Amman earlier said that talks will focus on "ways to ease the hardships facing the Palestinian people and paving the way towards resuming negotiations between the Palestinians and Israel."

King Abdullah will also brief the crown prince, the de facto ruler of Saudi Arabia, on his visit earlier this month to Washington and talks with U.S. President George W. Bush on the Middle East and Iraq.