Jordanian King Abdullah II held talks on Monday with the Iraqi prime minister after arriving in Baghdad for a four-hour unannounced visit — the first by an Arab head of state since the 2003 US-led invasion toppled Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein.
Abdullah called on Arab governments to “extend their hand to Iraq” because a strong Iraq “is a source of strength for the Arab nation,” a statement released by the royal palace in the Jordanian capital of Amman said.
An Iraqi government statement said Abdullah had “frank and positive talks” with Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki on relations between the two countries. Al-Maliki told the king that Iraq wanted to improve relations with all Arab countries, it said.
PHOTO: EPA
In turn, Abdullah expressed Jordan’s support for Iraqi “efforts to impose stability,” the Iraqi statement said.
Relations between the two neighboring countries had been strained since the fall of Saddam’s government because of Jordanian fears that Iraq’s Shiite-led government was too friendly with Shiite-dominated Iran.
Monday’s visit had not been announced. An earlier trip set for last month was canceled because Jordanian officials did not want any advance publicity.
Iraqi officials, speaking on condition of anonymity because of Jordanian sensitivities, said the visit lasted only four hours and the king left ahead of the announcement.
US officials had been urging Abdullah to visit Iraq to bolster ties between the two countries as part of Washington’s campaign to shore up support for the Iraqi government as a counterweight to Iranian influence.
Jordanian officials have also been concerned about Iranian influence in Iraq and the loss of discounted oil, which Saddam once provided. Abdullah warned in 2004 about the emergence of a “Shiite crescent” including Iran, Iraq and Lebanon — remarks that angered Iraqi officials.
Al-Maliki visited Jordan in June for the first time in nearly two years, and since then, the two nations appear willing to put their differences behind them. During that visit, al-Maliki agreed to renew oil supplies to Jordan for the next three years at discounted prices.
Jordan agreed to ease restrictions on the entry of Iraqi students and those transiting to a third country. Tens of thousands of Iraqis have sought refuge in Jordan to escape the sectarian violence that swept the country two years ago but has since receded.
Jordan has also named an ambassador to Iraq, joining other Arab countries that have agreed to upgrade their relations as the Iraqi government becomes more stable and security has improved — despite sporadic attacks and ongoing military operations.
The Jordanians maintained an embassy in Baghdad — but without an ambassador — even though the compound was attacked in August 2003 in the first car-bombing of the Iraq war.
Iraqi officials have been anxious to improve their ties with their Arab neighbors now that the government’s confidence has risen with improvements in security.
On Monday, about 250 Iraqi refugees were flown home from Egypt free of charge aboard the prime minister’s personal plane in what Iraqi officials said was an affirmation of improved security.
Military spokesman Brigadier General Qassim al-Moussawi said such flights would continue “in order to fetch all families that wish to come back.”
Nevertheless, insurgent attacks continue although at a much lower level than in recent years.
POLITICAL PRISONERS VS DEPORTEES: Venezuela’s prosecutor’s office slammed the call by El Salvador’s leader, accusing him of crimes against humanity Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele on Sunday proposed carrying out a prisoner swap with Venezuela, suggesting he would exchange Venezuelan deportees from the US his government has kept imprisoned for what he called “political prisoners” in Venezuela. In a post on X, directed at Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, Bukele listed off a number of family members of high-level opposition figures in Venezuela, journalists and activists detained during the South American government’s electoral crackdown last year. “The only reason they are imprisoned is for having opposed you and your electoral fraud,” he wrote to Maduro. “However, I want to propose a humanitarian agreement that
ECONOMIC WORRIES: The ruling PAP faces voters amid concerns that the city-state faces the possibility of a recession and job losses amid Washington’s tariffs Singapore yesterday finalized contestants for its general election on Saturday next week, with the ruling People’s Action Party (PAP) fielding 32 new candidates in the biggest refresh of the party that has ruled the city-state since independence in 1965. The move follows a pledge by Singaporean Prime Minister Lawrence Wong (黃循財), who took office last year and assumed the PAP leadership, to “bring in new blood, new ideas and new energy” to steer the country of 6 million people. His latest shake-up beats that of predecessors Lee Hsien Loong (李顯龍) and Goh Chok Tong (吳作棟), who replaced 24 and 11 politicians respectively
Young women standing idly around a park in Tokyo’s west suggest that a giant statue of Godzilla is not the only attraction for a record number of foreign tourists. Their faces lit by the cold glow of their phones, the women lining Okubo Park are evidence that sex tourism has developed as a dark flipside to the bustling Kabukicho nightlife district. Increasing numbers of foreign men are flocking to the area after seeing videos on social media. One of the women said that the area near Kabukicho, where Godzilla rumbles and belches smoke atop a cinema, has become a “real
‘WATER WARFARE’: A Pakistani official called India’s suspension of a 65-year-old treaty on the sharing of waters from the Indus River ‘a cowardly, illegal move’ Pakistan yesterday canceled visas for Indian nationals, closed its airspace for all Indian-owned or operated airlines, and suspended all trade with India, including to and from any third country. The retaliatory measures follow India’s decision to suspend visas for Pakistani nationals in the aftermath of a deadly attack by shooters in Kashmir that killed 26 people, mostly tourists. The rare attack on civilians shocked and outraged India and prompted calls for action against their country’s archenemy, Pakistan. New Delhi did not publicly produce evidence connecting the attack to its neighbor, but said it had “cross-border” links to Pakistan. Pakistan denied any connection to
RSS