Amman stresses its position concerning Hamas leaders

The Jordanian government has stressed its commitment to its position concerning the four leaders of the Hamas resistance movement who carry Jordanian citizenship and were evacuated in November 1999 to Doha, Qatar.

A Jordanian official who asked not to be identified said that Jordanian Foreign Minister Abdul Illah al-Khatib addressed this matter with the Qatari government during his visit to Doha on Tuesday, as well as during the visit of Qatari Foreign Minister Sheikh Hamad Bin Jasem Bin Jaber al-Thani on Wednesday to Amman.

Meanwhile, the Jordanian paper al-Arab al-Youm quoted sources close to Hamas as saying that the Qatari foreign minister "carried to Jordan a proposal" in wich the "four leaders" would be permitted to return to Jordan for a while before they leave it at their own will, noting that this proposal will preserve Hamas' dignity after the measures taken against it.

The paper added that Amman replied that by asserting its stand rejecting the return of the Hamas leader in their "organizational form (as leaders of the Hamas movement), and they can return back only as ordinary citizens."