Jordan's king says he is determined to purchase air defense system

The Jerusalem Post ^ | Jan. 23, 2003 | THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

[yonif]

AMMAN, Jordan - Jordan's King Abdullah II told a top US army commander Thursday he intends to buy an air defense system, and his military chief requested the United States supply it, the official Petra news agency reported.

Jordan, wedged between Iraq to its east and Israel to its west, wants to deploy an anti-missile battery before any US-led war on Iraq. In the 1991 Gulf war, Iraq violated Jordanian airspace when it launched 39 Scud missiles at Israel.

Petra said Abdullah told Gen. Tommy Franks, head of US Central Command, that Jordan "is determined to purchase an air defense system for the Jordanian armed forces to fortify control and protect Jordanian airspace from any foreign interference." Abdullah is supreme commander of the Jordanian armed forces.

It did not provide other details on the meeting with Franks, who arrived Wednesday on a low-profile visit for talks expected to focus on Iraq.

The United States and Britain accuse Iraq of hiding weapons of mass destruction, including chemical and biological warheads, and have threatened to go to war to force Iraq to disarm. Iraq has denied the accusations.

In a separate meeting Thursday, the Jordanian army chief asked Franks to "provide Jordan with an American air defense system," Petra reported.

It did not disclose other information on the talks with Gen. Khaled Sarayrah, but said the meeting was attended by Abdullah's younger brother Prince Faisal, who commands the Royal Jordanian Air Force.

Jordan negotiated with Russia last year to acquire the S-300 surface-to-air missile system. Russia had initially suggested that the system would be installed in February at the latest, but recently said delivery was not possible before the end of the year, forcing the kingdom to shop around in Europe.

Government officials have said Jordan reached advanced talks with European suppliers, mainly German and Dutch, but that financial terms had not been finalized.

It was not immediately clear whether Thursday request for an American air defense system meant talks had broken down with the Europeans.

Also on Thursday, Jordanian Prime Minister Ali Abul-Ragheb discussed with William Burns, assistant secretary of state for Near East affairs, ways to end the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, Iraq and a six-way meeting in Turkey on how to avert a showdown on Iraq, Abul-Ragheb's office said in a statement. It did not elaborate.

Burns also met with Foreign Minister Marwan Muasher late Wednesday, hours before Muasher left for the ministerial meeting in Turkey also attended by Saudi Arabia, Syria, Egypt and Iran.

Jordan is a key US ally in the Mideast. Annual US military and economic assistance is expected to grow by US$100 million to US$450 million this year.

[BossLady]

"he intends to buy an air defense system, and his military chief requested the United States supply it"

Wonder who he thinks is going to be aiming weapons at Jordan???

[The FRugitive]

That doesn't sounds unreasonable to me.

[thatdewd]

Russia had initially suggested that the system would be installed in February at the latest, but recently said delivery was not possible before the end of the year, forcing the kingdom to shop around in Europe.

Evidently they couldn't wait. They recently made a deal with Britain for hundreds of tanks, too. Beefing up, and IN A HURRY.