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http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/5344894/
also can be found at:
http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/nm/20040701/wl_nm/iraq_jordan_dc
momentous shift from before, could Egypt do the same perhaps?
this is another great development for the iraqi people. the jordanians are fair and true allies of the US with a leader who wants to develop his country and further his people's education and future, and will be the same good ally for the Iraqis.
Jordan willing to send troops to Iraq
King Abdullah's position is major shift since power transfer
Updated: 5:50 p.m. ET July 01, 2004
Jordan is willing to send troops to Iraq, becoming the first Arab state to do so, if Baghdads new interim government requests it, King Abdullah said on Thursday.
The Jordanian monarch, whose country would also be the first of Iraqs neighbors to send troops, was speaking in a television interview with Britains BBC "Newsnight" program. He said he had not yet discussed the issue with Iraqis.
Abdullahs comments, which are certain to please the United States, reflect a major shift in his countrys views on the international military presence in Iraq now that Washington has handed power to Prime Minister Iyad Allawis interim government.
My position has been beforehand not to send troops ... because of Jordanian history with Iraq, he said. I felt that all countries that surround Iraq have their own agendas, so maybe were not the right people to go in for the job.
However, now theres an interim government and, we hope, a fully independent process very soon in Iraq. I presume, if the Iraqis ask us for help directly it will be very difficult for us to say no, he said.
110 percent support
My message to the president and prime minister is: tell us what you want, tell us how we can help and we have 110 percent support for this, he said.
Iraqs former Governing Council, the U.S.-backed authority that preceded the interim government sworn in this week, firmly refused to have any troops from neighboring countries on its soil, raising the possibility any offer now by Jordan might also be turned down.
Turkey said last year, in response to a U.S. request, that it was ready to send troops to Iraq but then withdrew the offer when the Governing Council opposed the move.
At the time, Jordan sharply criticized Turkeys troops offer.
Before last years Iraq war, Jordan trod a diplomatic tightrope, wanting to avoid its mistake over the 1991 Gulf War when it refused to join an anti-Iraq coalition that led to isolation by oil-rich Gulf states.
Public opinion in Jordan, whose population is mostly of Palestinian origin, is strongly opposed to U.S. policy in the region and to Jordans 1994 peace treaty with Israel.
Copyright 2004 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved. Republication or redistribution of Reuters content is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Reuters.
also can be found at:
http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/nm/20040701/wl_nm/iraq_jordan_dc
momentous shift from before, could Egypt do the same perhaps?
this is another great development for the iraqi people. the jordanians are fair and true allies of the US with a leader who wants to develop his country and further his people's education and future, and will be the same good ally for the Iraqis.
Jordan willing to send troops to Iraq
King Abdullah's position is major shift since power transfer
Updated: 5:50 p.m. ET July 01, 2004
Jordan is willing to send troops to Iraq, becoming the first Arab state to do so, if Baghdads new interim government requests it, King Abdullah said on Thursday.
The Jordanian monarch, whose country would also be the first of Iraqs neighbors to send troops, was speaking in a television interview with Britains BBC "Newsnight" program. He said he had not yet discussed the issue with Iraqis.
Abdullahs comments, which are certain to please the United States, reflect a major shift in his countrys views on the international military presence in Iraq now that Washington has handed power to Prime Minister Iyad Allawis interim government.
My position has been beforehand not to send troops ... because of Jordanian history with Iraq, he said. I felt that all countries that surround Iraq have their own agendas, so maybe were not the right people to go in for the job.
However, now theres an interim government and, we hope, a fully independent process very soon in Iraq. I presume, if the Iraqis ask us for help directly it will be very difficult for us to say no, he said.
110 percent support
My message to the president and prime minister is: tell us what you want, tell us how we can help and we have 110 percent support for this, he said.
Iraqs former Governing Council, the U.S.-backed authority that preceded the interim government sworn in this week, firmly refused to have any troops from neighboring countries on its soil, raising the possibility any offer now by Jordan might also be turned down.
Turkey said last year, in response to a U.S. request, that it was ready to send troops to Iraq but then withdrew the offer when the Governing Council opposed the move.
At the time, Jordan sharply criticized Turkeys troops offer.
Before last years Iraq war, Jordan trod a diplomatic tightrope, wanting to avoid its mistake over the 1991 Gulf War when it refused to join an anti-Iraq coalition that led to isolation by oil-rich Gulf states.
Public opinion in Jordan, whose population is mostly of Palestinian origin, is strongly opposed to U.S. policy in the region and to Jordans 1994 peace treaty with Israel.
Copyright 2004 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved. Republication or redistribution of Reuters content is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Reuters.
