Jordan's opposition parties, including the Islamic Action Front, on Tuesday urged the government to cancel its decision to participate in the US-Jordanian military exercises amid US threats to strike Iraq. In a statement, 14 Jordanian opposition parties denounced the armed forces' participation in such maneuvers with US troops as "unacceptable."
"We denounce the government decision to go ahead with the joint Jordanian-American military maneuvers ... amid US threats of invading Iraq," said the statement, which called for the cancellation of the war games.
The three-week exercises, code-named "infinite moonlight," will take place in southern Jordan and all US troops participating in them will leave the kingdom at the end of the war games, Jordanian officials stressed.
On Monday, Jordanian Information Minister Mohammad Adwan said the US troops would leave Jordan after the exercises, but he did not reveal the date and scale of the maneuver or when the US troops would arrive in the kingdom.
The routine exercises will be staged at a sensitive time when Jordan denied press reports that it is hosting dozens of US solders and agents of the US Central Intelligence Agency who are preparing for a possible military strike against Iraq.
Jordan has reiterated on many occasions that it supports the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Iraq and rejects any interference in the country's domestic issues, Xinuha reported. (Albawaba.com)
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