-Caveat Lector- Monday, 29 July, 2002, 06:13 GMT 07:13 UK Jordan urges restraint over Iraq
Abdullah called for dialogue with Iraq King Abdullah of Jordan has warned the United States not to take any military action against Iraq. He said that an attack on Iraq would open a "Pandora's Box" while the Israel-Palestinian conflict remained unresolved. All of us are saying: 'Hey, United States, we don't think this is a very good idea King Abdullah The king's comments, in an interview with the Times of London newspaper, come amid increasing speculation that the US is planning to topple Iraqi President Saddam Hussein. The Jordanian monarch - one of America's staunchest Arab allies - is due to hold talks with British Prime Minister Tony Blair on Monday before flying on to Washington. Hawks 'obsessed' The king expressed concern about hawks in the US administration who were "fixated on Iraq". Abdullah warned against pressuring Arafat He said if they held sway, "that really would destabilise American strategic interest even more in the Middle East". The monarch said the international community was united in its opposition to an attack on Iraq. "All of us are saying: 'Hey, United States, we don't think this is a very good idea.'" The king denied reports that Jordan would host US troops preparing to bomb Iraq. Disagreement over Arafat The king criticised President Bush's call last month for Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat to be replaced. Arafat's popularity goes up the minute you point an Israeli tank barrel at him or there is a statement out of Washington King Abdullah He said the American strategy would backfire. "It is unfortunate to target any leadership in any part of the world," he told the newspaper. "The majority of Palestinians, who feel that America is biased, simply to spite the Americans would probably vote for Arafat to show 'this is what we think of what you said'." He warned against exerting pressure on Mr Arafat, saying the Palestinian leader's "popularity goes up the minute you point an Israeli tank barrel at him or there is a statement that comes out of Washington". The king said he felt recent Palestinian moves to stop suicide bombings were genuine. He said he believed the radical Islamic group Hamas would move away from militancy towards politics, although he said last week's "unfortunate" Israeli attack on Gaza would mean a delay "until everybody feels they've gotten their own back". <A HREF="http://www.ctrl.org/";>www.ctrl.org</A> DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER ========== CTRL is a discussion & informational exchange list. Proselytizing propagandic screeds are unwelcomed. Substance—not soap-boxing—please! These are sordid matters and 'conspiracy theory'—with its many half-truths, mis- directions and outright frauds—is used politically by different groups with major and minor effects spread throughout the spectrum of time and thought. That being said, CTRLgives no endorsement to the validity of posts, and always suggests to readers; be wary of what you read. CTRL gives no credence to Holocaust denial and nazi's need not apply. Let us please be civil and as always, Caveat Lector. ======================================================================== Archives Available at: http://peach.ease.lsoft.com/archives/ctrl.html <A HREF="http://peach.ease.lsoft.com/archives/ctrl.html";>Archives of [EMAIL PROTECTED]</A> http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/ <A HREF="http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/";>ctrl</A> ======================================================================== To subscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SUBSCRIBE CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] To UNsubscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SIGNOFF CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] Om
