Tuesday, Aug 14, 2007
AMMAN (AP)--Insurgents in Iraq threaten the rest of the region, an Iraqi cabinet official said here before the start of a meeting on security cooperation between Baghdad and Jordanian officials.
Iraq's Deputy Foreign Minister Labid Abbawi said "our aim is to consolidate cooperation in means of combating terrorists and their networks and activities."
"This problem would not be confined to Iraq as such, but it might also affect all the nations in the region," said Abbawi, who is a member of the delegation.
In 2005, Jordan experienced its worst attack when Iraqi suicide bombers linked to al-Qaida in Iraq killed 60 people at three Amman hotels.
The seven-member delegation includes Iraqi adviser of National Security, Mouwaffak al-Rubaie, Chief of Intelligence Muhammad Al-Shahwani and General Jamal Suleiman, director general of security and military intelligence.
"Actually it's a quite a sensitive issue and a point of concern to the Iraqi government," Abbawi said.
Jordanian Interior Ministry Secretary-General Mukheimar Abu-Jamous said last month that the Iraqis posed security concerns for Jordan.
Since the 2005 bombing attacks, Jordan has tightened its residency regulations, and all Iraqis must undergo thorough background checks.
Abbawi also said that the meetings will tackle the suffering of Iraqis who fled their country.
"We will discuss this issue in some details, so as to try to solve some obstacles, and to soothe many of the sufferings of Iraqis," he said.
Jordan hosts some 750,000 Iraqis and according to Jordanian officials they are costing the kingdom $1 billion a year in basic services.
According to the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees, about 50,000 people continue to flee Iraq every month, mostly to Jordan and Syria.
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
August 14, 2007 05:44 ET (09:44 GMT)
