Jordan Accuses Hamas of Smuggling Weapons

(Reuters) Jamal Halaby - Jordan accused Hamas activists of smuggling missiles and other weapons into the kingdom and said Tuesday it was canceling a visit by Palestinian Foreign Minister Mahmoud Zahar, planned for Wednesday, a Jordanian government spokesman said. On Friday, Zahar went to Cairo, but Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit said he was too busy for a meeting. Jordanian spokesman Nasser Judeh said "missiles, explosives, and automatic weapons were seized in the last couple of days." Hamas activists had managed to smuggle "such dangerous weapons into the country" and store them, he said. (AP/Washington Post) Hamas, which has a large following in Palestinian camps across Jordan, was also accused of using Jordan to engage in illegal anti-Israel activities. The Jordanian government spokesman also suggested that Hamas activists had planned sabotage on Jordanian soil, saying its members had been undertaking "surveillance activities for several vital targets in Amman and other cities." Much of Jordan's population is of Palestinian origin and the kingdom hosts the largest number of refugees outside the West Bank and Gaza.


2006-04-20 00:00:00

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