Iraq may lay claim to Jordan, Kuwait in future: Hamid

Yahoo! News ^ | Feb 21 2004 | AFP

[yonif]

BAGHDAD (AFP) - The current president of Iraq (news - web sites)'s interim Governing Council said that Baghdad could consider territorial claims over neighbouring Jordan and Kuwait in the future.

"We need our Arab brothers around us. Now, we cannot discuss this matter with them at all, but in the future, we'll see," said Mohsen Abdel Hamid, in response to a question from a Baghdad consultative council member.

Shaza Hadi al-Obeidi had asked Abdel Hamid about the status of territory, once linked to Iraq, such as Jordan and Kuwait, at an extraordinary meeting of the 37-member consultative council.

A Jordanian government spokeswoman said Amman would demand an explanation of Abdel Hamid's comments.

"If the comments attributed to the current president of the interim Governing Council are confirmed, Jordan will demand clarifications from Iraq," Asma Khodr said in Amman.

"We are convinced that these remarks do not reflect the opinion" of the Governing Council, she said.

The special session of the consultative council in Baghdad was also attended by three representatives of the US-led coalition and journalists.

Members of the council, which reflects Baghdad's majority Shiite Muslim population, were elected by district committees across the capital on July 1.

Iraq invaded Kuwait under Saddam Hussein (news - web sites) in 1990 and annexed the oil-rich Gulf emirate, before his troops beat a hasty retreat seven months later in the US-led 1991 Gulf War (news - web sites).

During British rule after World War I, two branches of the Hashemite royal family governed Iraq and Jordan.

In 1958 King Hussein of Jordan and his first cousin King Faisal of Iraq declared an Arab Hashemite Federation between their countries. But the monarchy was overthrown in Iraq later the same year.

Baghdad has for decades laid claim to Kuwait as an integral part of Iraq, arguing the emirate was artificially separated by the British colonisers.

[Paleo Conservative]

Bush to Iraq, "that dog won't hunt".

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

This is getting crazy.

We have armed clashes in Iran, the cornering of Bin Laden in Pakistan and in Taiwan a debate among Presidential Candidates discussing starting a war with China!

[MJY1288]

I think Mohsen Abdel Hamid should worry what's going on within the current borders of Iraq before he starts laying claims to the lands of his neighbors.

Who is this guy, he sounds like Saddam Hussien

[yonif]

The US needs to remove these kinds of people from the governing council if it ever wants reform in the type and thinking of the government in Iraq to occur.

[Paleo Conservative]

in Taiwan a debate among Presidential Candidates discussing starting a war with China!

They seemed to be swaggering about as much as the Japanese after Pear Harbor twisting Yamamoto's words to claim they would dictate surrender terms in the White House.

[Viking2002]

Ah, ah, ah, ah - don't go there. You start talking about Kuwait, and you'll get your asses handed to you again.

[MJY1288]

I agree, this fellow seems a bit ambitious and needs to go

[Democratshavenobrains]

I'm sure the Lefties are ready to jump all over this guy now. Never mind that Saddam actually did these things and they never said Boo to him. But of course, he was anti-american, so that made it ok.

[historian1944]

Sounds to me like it'd be a good way to bring democracy to Kuwait.

[Democratshavenobrains]

And Jordan for that matter.

[jaykay]

Well, geez, let's just have Iraq annex Iran, Saudi Arabia and Syria too. Then Egypt, Lybia, Pakistan...
Most of the Middle East and surroundings can be part of Iraq and have democracy, after a few more decades or centuries of war.