PALESTINIAN leader Mahmud Abbas overnight called "dangerous and surprising" Jordan's discovery of a cache of weapons attributed to Hamas. "The information I received from Jordan's prime minister and intelligence chief is dangerous and surprising at the same time," Mr Abbas said after meeting Jordan's Prime Minister Maarouf Bakhit.A high-level Palestinian political and security delegation was going to visit Jordan to study the affair "which has serious repercussions for the security and stability of Jordan," Mr Abbas said.
For his part, Mr Bakhit said he welcomed the visit by a fact-finding Palestinian delegation and described as positive his talks with Mr Abbas about the weapons seizure.
Jordan said Tuesday it had indefinitely postponed a visit from Palestinian foreign minister and Hamas leader Mahmud al-Zahar after finding a weapons stash belonging to the Islamic radical group. Jordan had found explosives and rockets in the hands of a Hamas cell, which had been surveying strategic spots in Amman, a government spokesman said. Jordan believes the weapons were smuggled into the country from neighbouring Syria.
| They didn't come via Iraq ... |
Jordan, which has sought to play a mediating role between Israel and the Palestinians, in November 1999 expelled Hamas members including the now Damascus-based supremo Khaled Meshaal and closed its offices. King Abdullah's move marked a break with his late father's policy of tolerating Hamas's presence in the desert kingdom.