GAZA, April 19 (KUNA) -- The Palestinian government is astounded by the allegations made by Jordan accusing Hamas of smuggling weapons into Jordanian territories, secretary general of the Palestinian cabinet, Dr. Mohammed Awadh said Wednesday.
Speaking to the Palestinian radio, he said the Palestinian government "does not expect such activities to take place on Jordan's territories," pointing out "the keenness of the Palestinian government to form good, solid relations with all Arab and Islamic countries especially with Jordan and Egypt."
He called on Jordan to take its time "before making such accusations because they could be mistaken" explaining that "no Palestinian faction had ever carried out such activity."
"The factions all call for fighting against the Israeli occupation inside Palestine and not outside it," he added.
"The information that was disclosed yesterday on Jordan's confiscation of weapons could be inaccurate and therefore we ask (Jordan) to take more time to clarify the matter," he said.
He described Jordanian-Palestinian relations as strong and historic adding that such activities "would certainly not harm" bilateral relations.
The Jordanian government on Tuesday postponed the visit of Palestinian foreign minister Dr. Mahmoud Al-Zahar to Amman, which was scheduled for today, until further notice.
"The visit of Mahmoud Al-Zahar...was postponed until further notice after the Jordanian security authorities seized weapons and explosives brought to Jordan by Hamas elements," government spokesman Nasser Joudah said yesterday.
He told the state-run news agency (Petra) the Jordanian government considered this act as "evidence that Hamas uses two different languages in dealing with Jordan."Joudah noted that his government was keen to establish good relations with the new Hamas-led government and was clear to express respect for the choice of the Palestinian people.
However, he regretted that some Hamas elements brought "rockets, explosives and machineguns" into Jordan.
The Jordanian security authorities also spotted some Hamas elements monitoring some "vital targets in the capital Amman and other cities," said the spokesman.
The Jordanian government regrets these practices, he said, but asserted at the same time the strong relations with the Palestinian Authority and Palestinian people.
