Jordanian border police are turning away hundreds of Iraqi vehicles daily at the Karama border crossing, often without explanation, creating huge parking lots of frustrated travelers in the Iraqi desert. At Queen Alia International Airport, just south of Jordan's capital, Amman, Iraqi passengers are ushered into a room and interrogated before being allowed to enter the country. And some Iraqis who used to be able to get 30-day visas to Jordan are now being allowed to stay just a few days at a time.
| Gee. Golly. Gosh. Shucks. I wonder why? |
The security restrictions being applied to Iraqis stem from the bombings of three Amman hotels on Nov. 9. The attacks -- which killed 59 people, most of them Jordanians -- were carried out by three Iraqi suicide bombers; a fourth Iraqi's explosive belt failed to detonate. Jordanian security officials say the extra measures are necessary to keep out would-be terrorists.
| Oh. Yeah. There is that, isn't there? |
Jordan's government spokesman, Nasir Judah, confirmed that the country had imposed new border restrictions on Jan. 2 that prohibit vehicles with Iraqi license plates from entering the country. As a result, Iraqi commercial drivers are effectively prevented from taking passengers to and from Jordan, and private vehicles with Iraq's signature black license plates are stopped at the border. The only Iraqi vehicles allowed into Jordan are those with white license plates, which can be obtained only after the owner puts funds into a trust equal to the value of the car. |