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| Middle East |
| Ma'an declared ''demilitarized zone'' as government rejects mediation offer |
| 2002-11-14 |
| Jordanian officials started collecting weapons from residents of Maan on Thursday. Caches of weapons, including rocket-propelled grenades and bomb-making materials, have been seized, authorities said. Guess elk hunting season's over... The Jordanian government has declared the city of Ma'an a demilitarized zone, banning holding or possessing of any types of weapons without the approval of the interior minister. It said Jordan would not compromise on its security or the higher national interests. "Hello? Is this the interior minster?... Yeah. Lookee here, I need a chit to carry my rocket launcher... What do I need a rocket launcher for?... 'Coons. They're really bad around here..." Meanwhile, the Egyptian news agency MENA reported that the Jordanian government rejected late Wednesday a mediation offer by Islamic Action Front. According to a statement by Abd-al-Latif Arabiyat, the Shura Council speaker president of the Islamic Action Front, Prime Minister Ali Abu-al-Ragheb phoned him earlier in the day to inform him of the government's apology for not accepting the mediation offer in this case. Abu-al-Ragheb said the parties concerned were pressing ahead with their procedures to finish this task. Y'see, the Jordanian government thinks they're the ones who should be in charge in Jordan, not the Islamic Action Front... Arabiyat regretted the government's rejection of the mediation offer to work out a solution to the crisis. He reiterated previous requests to lift the siege imposed on Ma'an and enforce legal and civil procedures. Yeah. That always works when it comes to people with grendades and rocket launchers. You betcha. Thanks to Steve for the link... |
| Posted by:Fred Pruitt |