Yemen Willing to Send Troops to Iraq

Associated Press ^ | 7/2/04 | AHMED AL-HAJ

[TexKat]

SAN'A, Yemen - Yemen is willing to send peacekeeping soldiers to Iraq and Sudan but only with a U.N. Security Council mandate, Foreign Ministry officials said Friday.

The officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, told The Associated Press that Yemen was discussing plans to send forces to Iraq.

But any deployment would have to have U.N. backing and the forces would have to be under the control of the world body, the officials said.

Yemen also is considering sending forces to the African nation of Sudan to operate in a similar peacekeeping capacity and under U.N. authority, the officials said.

The officials did not elaborate on why this Arab state would send troops to Sudan, but they were apparently referring to the humanitarian crisis in the western state of Darfur.

Yemen's move follows that of Jordan's, whose ruler, King Abdullah II, said a day earlier that his country might become the first Arab state to send troops to Iraq.

Abdullah told the British Broadcasting Corp. "Newsnight" program, that "I presume that if the Iraqis ask us for help directly it would be very difficult for us to say no."

[TexKat]

Jordan, Yemen, they all want to now send troops. I was listening to some Arab talking head last night on one of the cable news shows and he stated that the Iraqis would not accept any of these foreign Arab troops into their country.

[cardinal4]

They will probably have "palestinian belts" on.

[Piquaboy]

The useless UN has had its head in the sand over Sudan like it does not exist.

[Az. Mike]

They have been sending 'troops' - of the terrorist variety.

[Libertarian4Bush]

you know what they say, when life gives you yemens...

[JZoback]

This is in fact very good news.

The reason they want the U.N. Security Council mandate is to cover their backsides with the general population. Putting their troops under even a multinational joint operation would not sit well with the general population (arab street).

Yemen's move follows that of Jordan's, whose ruler, King Abdullah II, said a day earlier that his country might become the first Arab state to send troops to Iraq.

Abdullah is not some camel driving Bedouin, he is western educated and knows what direction the world is heading. He's trying to get ahead of the curve on a changing world. He knows the Saudis are in deep trouble and sees an opportunity.

[no dems]

Jordan yesterday; Yemen today. This is good news for The Prez.

[babaloo]

Very good news for Bush. He needs to make a special effort to mention this right away in all his public appearances or the public at large will not hear about it.

[TexKat]

Jordan yesterday; Yemen today. This is good news for The Prez.

I don't know about that. Jordan, Yemen,etc. willing to help only after power has been turned over to the Iraqis. And according to some is that the Iraqis will not be willing to let this happen, the same way as with the Turkish troops.

[Paleo Conservative]

Which side?

[TexKat]

Jordan yesterday; Yemen today. This is good news for The Prez.

A snippet from an interview last night on the Lou Dobbs show. FOUAD AJAMI, JOHN HOPKINS UNIVERSITY PROFESSOR

DOBBS: If the BBC report is accurate and confirmed and the White House eventually responds to it, the question is -- King Abdullah of Jordan sending troops is a monumental step here.

AJAMI: Well, Lou, bring me back. I want to talk about this at some point. This is -- we've seen this movie before. It was called bringing Turkish troops in. And guess what Iraqis told us. Folks, we can't use Turkish troops. The Kurds hate them.

OK. King Abdullah of Jordan would like to be a player. He would like to get paid for being a player, but the moment you talk about Jordanians going to Iraq -- these are Sunni troops, the Jordanians. Will they -- will the Shia of Iraq want them? They won't. Will the Kurds want them? They won't. This is the administration refuses to know the intimate details of the Arab world. When they talked about -- when they talked about bringing Turks in we told them, unusable. The Jordanians are they usable in Iraq, I'm not convinced.

DOBBS: You don't think then the new Iraqi government will invite King Abdullah's troops?

AJAMI: There is absolutely no chance that I can see that Jordanians would be usable. Are the Saudi usable, no. Are the Pakistanis usable, no. It's difficult to bring Muslim troops, Arab troops into Iraq and they would be accepted. You bring a Sunni soldier from Saudi Arabia, you put him in Najaf and Karbala, he sees these shrines in Najaf and Karbala as symbols of blasphemy. Is he reliable there, no.

What about the Jordanians?

The Jordanians, would like to cut themselves into the deal. Can we use them, no, but the administration is willful about this. And I think if they check with their own people in the field, they'll tell them that it's much more difficult to use Jordanians than we are now being told.

DOBBS: Professor Fouad Ajami thank you for being here. It is both good to see you and always educational to listen to you. Thank you.

[TexKat]

Jordanian Foreign Minister Marwan Moasher (pictured) said comments by King Abdullah II about sending troops to Iraq are a message of support for Baghdad rather than an announcement of future deployment.(AFP/File/Khalil Mazraawi)

Jordan king remarks on troops to Iraq only a message of support: FM

AMMAN (AFP) - Jordanian Foreign Minister Marwan Moasher said comments by King Abdullah II about sending troops to Iraq are a message of support for Baghdad rather than an announcement of future deployment.

"We have no intention of sending troops at this time. (King Abdullah's) statement is a statement of support for the Iraqi government rather than an announcement of sending troops," Moasher told AFP on Friday.

Asked about the possibility of sending Jordanian troops to help boster security in Iraq, King Abdullah told the BBC Thursday: "If the Iraqis ask us for help directly it will be very difficult for us to say no."

"If they fail, then we will pay the price," the king, who is currently visiting London, said on the Newsnight programme.

But he said he did not think the Jordanians were "the right people" for the job, and according to Moasher insisted that even Iraq does not want troops on its territory from neighbouring countries.

A court spokeswoman who is accompanying the king on his London visit told AFP by telephone from the British capital that the Jordanian monarch's statements were "in the general context of giving a vote of confidence to the Iraqis" as they progress with their new-found sovereignty.

"He did not say 'yes we want to send troops'. He said if they ask we will study the proposal but nothing has been yet asked and nothing has been discussed," the spokeswoman said.

The king's remarks were seen as a key diplomatic gesture towards Amman's eastern neighbour, following the transfer of sovereignty on Monday from the US-led coalition to the new interim Iraqi government.

But Moasher insisted there was no change of policy in Amman, which refused to take part in last year's war against its Iraq, preferring to support the country's reconstruction from its own homeground.

Since the end of the war Jordan has helped train hundreds of officers for Iraq's new army and thousands of police recruits for the new Iraqi police.

"I think that the (king's) statement should be read in its entirety," Moasher said.

"He made it clear that he does not think this is the right move for neighbouring states and also said that Iraq does not want neighbouring states' armies," Moasher said.

"And he said this is not useful and that we don't think this is the right thing to do for neighbouring states," the foreign minister added in a telephone interview.

The king, according to Moasher, was clear that if Iraq asked for Jordanian troops to be deployed on its territory "that will be looked into".

"We want to make sure we send a message of support to the Iraqi government that we are supporting what they want," he said.

Jordanian officials, including the king, have repeatedly said in the past that their country, which contributes peacekeepers to UN missions in several world hotspots, was not ready to send troops to Iraq.

Justice Minister Salah Bashir insisted on that position during a meeting of foreign ministers from the Organisation of Islamic Conference in June in Istanbul, after suggestions that Arab countries should deploy troops in Iraq.

"We will not send any soldiers to Iraq and we are against the presence of military forces from neigbouring countries in Iraq," Bashir, who headed Jordan's delegation to the meeting, said on June 15.

He was responding to comments by NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer that Arab states should take part in a multinational force in the war-torn country, alongside NATO forces.

An Arab minister who attended the conference also told AFP that Iraq was categorically opposed to allowing forces from neighbouring countries onto its soil, but could allow soldiers from other Arab countries.

[VOA]

Jordan yesterday; Yemen today. This is good news for The Prez.

Yep. Despite some Yemenis involved in skullduggery, their leaders have tried to
be cooperative with the USA on terrorism matters.

I saw a picture of one of the top leaders in his tribal robes and big waist-belt knife.
It was funny as the fellow is a dead ringer for Dennis Hopper.

[Eric in the Ozarks]

Boink !

[no dems]

You make a very good point and it will probably never happen. But, the GESTURE makes a favorable impression on the subconscious of the American populace.

[Az. Mike]

That Jordanian Foreign Minister bears an eerie resemblence to Heinrich Himmler.

[freddiedavis]

this is good news...two arab countries willing to assist iraq...

[Lady Heron]

There thinking we are on our way out. Get there men in now to influence Iraq.