Jordan ready to help Iraq

2004-07-02 10:15

London - Jordan would be willing to send troops or other military aid to Iraq if the country's new government requested assistance, King Abdullah II said in an interview broadcast on Thursday.

If a request came from Baghdad, "it would be very difficult for us to say no," Jordan's king told BBC television in one of the first signs that an Arab nation might be willing to directly help the international coalition in Iraq.

"The security situation will continue to be a major problem for this Iraqi government," Abdullah told the BBC's Newsnight programme in Amman, while praising Iraq's new interim government which officially took power on Monday.

"I feel somewhat optimistic that we have strong, courageous leaders in Iraq," he said.

"These are good, tough, courageous people, but the challenges that face them on security are going to be their major problem and they are going to need everybody's help."

Abdullah was asked whether, if Iraq's leaders requested help, Jordan would consider sending troops or other military aid.

"Now that there's an Iraqi interim government, and we hope a fully independent process soon in Iraq, I presume if the Iraqis asked us for help directly it would be very difficult for us to say no," he said.

"My message to the (Iraqi) president and to the prime minister is: 'Tell us what you want, tell us how we can help and you have 110% support from us'.

"If we don't stand with them, if they fail, then we will pay the price."

However the idea of Arab troops joining coalition efforts to stabilise Iraq was still a theoretical one, Abdullah noted, saying that "this is an Iraqi decision and this has not been discussed with the Iraqis".

He added: "Again, I would feel that we are not the right people. But at the end of the day, if there is something that we can provide, a service to the future of Iraqis then we will definitely study that proposal."

The British-educated Abdullah, whose nation shares a border with western Iraq, is one of the US' closest allies in the Arab world.

- AFP