Jordanian government strikes mediation effort in Maan, Abu Sayyaf flees, assistant arrested
Jordan, Politics, 11/14/2002

The Jordanian government has isolated the mediation offer proposed by parties and trade unions to settle the crisis of Maan city, while news reports talked about the fleeing of the wanted Islamists Muhammad Shalabi known as Abi Sayyaf.

Meantime, the Jordanian military authorities have tightened its fist on the besieged southern city and arrested two of Shalabi's aides.

Eye witnesses and officials said that Muhammad Shalabi once again escaped from the security campaign carried out by the army and expressed their conviction that Shalabi and his main aides fled from the stage of violent clashes in al-Toura quarters on the north-eastern side of the desert city.

However, the Jordanian news agency said that the security forces were able to detain two brothers that belong to the Abi Sayyaf group. They are Khamis and Aser Abu Darwish. The security authorities described Khamis Abu Darwish, known as Mulla Khamis, as the right hand for Muhammad Shalabi and described him as one of the greatest smugglers of drugs.

The Jordanian news agency indicated that the security forces found during its inspection campaign a "workshop for manufacturing and maintaining weapons under the house of one suspected person." It added that the workshop contains equipment to manufacture explosives and bombs and mortars. The Jordanian minister of the interior Qaftan al-Majali said earlier that the security forces confiscated anti tank missiles and large amounts of weapons.

A security source said that bottles containing chemicals were also found and are being examined.

Despite lifting the embargo partially after four days, the basic services are still obstructed. Witnesses said that there is no indication on the pullout of the regular army forces and the tanks which were deployed to enhance the terrorism- fighting forces.

The government decided to prevent carrying or owning any sort of weapons in the city of Maan unless approved by the ministry of the interior. This decision came following a meeting by the Jordanian cabinet in light of the "regrettable incidents" in the city since several days.

Meantime, the chairman of the "follow up committee for the national gathering Abdul Latif Arabeyat said in a statement that the Jordanian Prime minister Ali Abul Ragheb phoned him to "tell give him apology for not accepting the mediation in a security case." Arabeyat expressed his regret "over this position." Two days ago opposition parties and trade unions proposed mediation in Maan crisis. Arabeyat stressed that the follow up committee "will continue its meetings to debate issues concerning the solution by means of dialogue and contacts with all sides and announce readiness to provide its potentials to get rid off the crisis." Meantime, the Amnesty International criticized provisional laws approved recently by the Jordanian government saying that these measures increased the restrictions of public works and limit the peaceful freedom of opinion expression.

In a statement, the organization said that the "government under the provisional laws approved in the absence of the Parliament whose term of office ended in 2001, denied citizens their right to free expression of their views." The organization added that the provisional laws approved following the September 11 incidents increased restrictions of the freedom of expression because it considered several activities as illegal such as the call for unlicensed meetings or damaging the reputation of individuals, violating national unity and conveying false information.

The organization strongly denounced the authorities three trade union activists in the area of resisting occupation with Israel by distributing pictures calling for supporting the Palestinian Intifada and resisting normalization ,and called for immediate release for them saying they are"prisoners of conscience, arrested only for peaceful expression for their views."

Previous Stories:
  Clashes continue, the opposition mediates, the army has not settled the fighting in Maan   (11/13/2002)
  Okaz: Jordanian king visits Saudi Arabia   (11/13/2002)
  Calm returns back to Maan   (11/12/2002)

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