Jordan has come under pressure not to hand back six Iraqi commercial airliners grounded in Amman since the 1991 Gulf war, Trade Minister Wassif Azar was quoted as saying Tuesday, August 28.
"Jordan is under pressure not to return the six planes to Iraq," Al-Rifadain weekly quoted the minister as saying. However he did not identify the source of the pressure. "These planes require spare parts and a technical overhaul because they are not airworthy. Once they are serviced we can talk," he added.
"We have to find a way of convincing the United Nations to return them," he said. "Those who want to use this question to influence relations between Jordan and Iraq will fail ... Iraq fully understands Jordan's situaiton."
Iraqi Transport Minister Ahmad Murtada demanded Saturday that Amman hand over the aircraft in a meeting with his Jordanian counterpart Nader Al-Zahabi, noting the UN security council had not approved the seizure of the aircraft.
A number of Iraqi Airways planes were grounded in Jordan, Tunisia and Iran just before the Gulf war broke out to save them from destruction. In November of last year, Jordan's Information Minister Talib Rifai said Amman was ready to hand the planes over and that "the only obstacle was a technical one."
An official had estimated technical costs at around $14 million, prompting Jordan to demand agreement with Baghdad prior to the handover of the planes. ― (AFP, Riyadh)
© Agence France Presse 2001
© 2001 Mena Report (www.menareport.com)
