Jordan Times
Sunday, January 25, 1998
Rashid tells Lower House that Jordanians remain in
Iraqi jails
By Fairouz Abu-Ghazaleh
AMMAN - Despite Baghdad's recent release of 92 Jordanian
prisoners, there are still nationals in Iraqi prisons, Minister
of Interior Nathir Rashid told the Lower House of Parliament
during yesterday's session.
Over 50 Jordanian prisoners freed under a general amnesty by
Iraqi President Saddam Hussein returned home on Wednesday.
Another 18 convicts had been released but decided to remain in
Iraq, while 12 men in detention whose charges were also dropped
under the unexpected amnesty opted to stay there.
Mr. Rashid said he had met with Iraqi Minister of Interior
Mohammad Zmam Abdul Razzaq three times in the last month to
discuss the issue of Jordanian prisoners in Iraq.
In their last meeting, Mr. Abdul Razzaq provided him with a list
that included names of 69 Jordanians in Iraqi prisons.
Mr. Rashid said three of the names of those who were released did
not match the names of those provided in the list. Iraqi embassy
diplomats were not immediately available for comment on the
discrepancy in the figures.
Mr. Rashid also said one Jordanian man called him to ask
"about the whereabouts of his son, who was tried in May 1995
but has not been released yet."
President Hussein ordered the release after a meeting with Leith
Shbeilat, a main opposition leader and head of the Jordan
Engineers Association. However, government officials have
maintained that Baghdad informed them of the release before the
meeting with Mr. Shbeilat.
Deputy Ahmad Annab asked the government to elaborate on the role
of Mr. Shbeilat in securing their release and asked whether his
initiative to travel to Baghdad and meet with President Hussein
was personal or upon the request of the government.
Deputy Prime Minister Abdullah Ensour answered that Mr. Shbeilat
went on his own.
"The government did not assign Mr. Shbeilat this task, nor
did it discuss the matter with him," Dr. Ensour said.
Officials have said President Hussein decided to release them to
improve his image in Jordan, battered by the December execution
of four Jordanians for smuggling spare auto parts out of Iraq.
But many have questioned why he snubbed official efforts to win
their freedom and opted to release them upon the visit of a
leading opposition figure.
Jordan was one of Iraq's main Arab allies until 1995, at which
time it gave asylum to top Iraqi defectors and began calling for
democratic reforms. It also allowed a few Iraqi opposition groups
to set up offices in Amman, which remains dependent on Iraq for
its oil supplies.
During yesterday's session, Islamist Deputy Mohammad Azaideh and
lawmaker Salameh Hiari criticised the government for adopting a
new strategy of appointing women as directors of male public
schools.
"We are an Arab, Islamic and conservative society. How will
this reflect on our generation and society?" asked Mr.
Azaideh. "If male directors, holding sticks, are unable to
discipline our students, then how will female directors be able
to achieve that? How will female directors discipline men?"
Dr. Ensour defended the move, saying it was an administrative
measure, not an attempt to "feminise education as some of
you have called it."
He said the measure "does not violate our religion [or]
traditions, nor our beliefs and is followed in countries all over
the world."
Turning to the Zarqa governorate, Deputy Mansour Murad said
Azraq's salt factory - on which more than 10,000 families depend
for their livelihoods - is suffering due to unofficial
competition by the local potash factory.
"It was agreed that the potash factory would export its
product, leaving the Azraq factory to sell its product in the
local market and in Iraq," he said.
The government told Mr. Murad it would ask the potash factory not
to compete with the salt factory.
Yusef Shreideh, first deputy speaker, said many citizens from the
Southern Shouna area were complaining of polluted drinking water
and some were even hospitalised.
The government promised Dr. Shreideh that it would take care of
the matter and give it due attention.
Meanwhile, the House resumed its discussion of a draft customs
law, which was interrupted by the five-day marathon debate of the
draft 1998 state budget. A total of 203 articles out of the law's
258 have now been endorsed.