Jordan Times
Wednesday, March 16, 2005
MPs reject claims
linking Jordan to violence
Agencies
The Lower House on Tuesday strongly rejected Iraqi Shiite allegations linking
Jordan to violence in the neighbouring country and reiterated the Kingdom's
condemnation of terrorist attacks.
The Jordan News Agency, Petra, quoted a House statement as saying that deputies
“voiced their deep regret” over recent statements reportedly attributed to
Shiite leaders blaming Jordan for a suicide attack in the Iraqi town of Hilla,
100 kilometres south of Baghdad, last month. The MPs also denounced the assault
on the Jordanian embassy in Baghdad and the anti-Kingdom demonstrations reported
in some parts of Iraq.
“While emphasising the strong and brotherly relations between Jordan and Iraq,
the House reaffirms that holding Jordan responsible for the attack is
contradictory to logic and common sense,” the deputies said.
They highlighted the Kingdom's efforts to help preserve Iraq's sovereignty and
territorial integrity.
Authorities on Monday interrogated a reporter for Al Ghad daily for writing
“false and fabricated news” claiming that Jordanian Raed Banna carried out the
deadly attack. Two Al Ghad editors were expected to be interrogated over the
issue. But the family of Banna strongly denied their son was involved, adding
that he died in Mosul. The newspaper and satellite TV channels claimed the
family received “congratulations for the martyrdom of their son during an attack
carried out by the Iraqi resistance” — which reportedly angered the Iraqis.
The deputies called on Iraqis to carefully examine such rumours and hostile
allegations before blaming Jordan, according to Petra.
And top Iraqi Shiite leader Imam Mohammad Mahdi Khalisi joined the lawmakers in
rejecting the allegations.
Petra quoted a statement by Khalisi's office in Baghdad as accusing Iraqi
politician “Ahmed Chalabi and an intelligence agency in an Iraq neighbouring
country of attempting to harm Jordan-Iraq ties.”
A Jordanian court sentenced Chalabi to 22 years in prison for fraud and
embezzling $288 million from Petra Bank, which he founded and ran until its
collapse in 1989, and moving the funds into Swiss accounts.
Meanwhile, Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshiyar Zebari presented a letter to
Jordanian Charge d'Affaires Dimai Haddad in Baghdad on the alleged “praise” of
Banna, Agence France-Presse reported.