Jordan Times
Friday, November 11, 2005

Straw visits bombed hotel
Agencies

BRITISH FOREIGN SECRETARY Jack Straw condemned the Jordanian hotel bombings as "evil" during an unscheduled visit to Amman Thursday and said British forensic experts were on their way to help with the investigation.

"This is a worldwide evil," Straw told reporters as he toured the site of the Grand Hyatt, one of the three hotels bombed Wednesday evening.

"I have come here today to this hotel to say that Jordan's grief is our grief and Jordan's sorrow is our sorrow. Jordan's determination to fight this terrorism is our determination too," Straw said.

"I have also told Jordan that there two forensic experts who happen to be in Beirut are on their way and we stand ready to send more assistance of whatever kind it wishes," Straw added.

Straw said he was shown "a shrapnel which the suicide bomber had strapped to himself so even more people would be killed than would have been killed by the explosives."

"We are all paying the price for being civilised. This evil terrorism has struck all countries and countries of all religions. It has struck some countries that have supported the war with Iraq and struck countries that opposed the war in Iraq," Straw said.

Jordan did not take part in the US-led invasion that led to the ouster of the Saddam Hussein regime in April 2003 but the country has been helping train Iraqi police and military personnel.

The British foreign secretary stopped in Amman on his way to neighbouring Iraq where officials announced he would meet later Thursday with Prime Minister Ibrahim Jaafari.

A British embassy official declined to comment on Straw's next destination.

Rice may visit Jordan

Meanwhile, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said she may visit the Kingdom while in the Mideast this week to show solidarity with an Arab ally in the fight against terrorism.

The nearly simultaneous attack "underscores that these terrorists will attack innocent people without remorse," Rice said Thursday as she flew to the region.

Rice said she will talk to Jordanian leaders about whether to take a side trip to Jordan, saying she did not want to interfere with recovery efforts.

She said street protests against the bombings by angry Jordanians show the terrorists' message does not resonate.

"People are really tired of these killers," she said.