Jordan Islamists for postponing elections; foiling plan to blow up American targets

The Islamic movement in Jordan has called on the government to postpone the municipal elections which is due by the end of the current month because according to them "these elections are being held in a non- democratic and unfair law." Meantime, the Jordanian authorities announced foiling a plan to blow up American targets in Jordan including the American embassy in Amman.

Officials at the Islamic Labor front ( Jabhat al-Amal al-Islami) said that the government has to cancel the provisional elections law which was issued in the absence of the parliament, permitting the elections of half of the municipal council and appointing the other half, and called for returning back to the previous law which allows the elections of the chairman and all members of the municipal council.

On the other hand, the Jordanian minister of municipality affairs Abdul Razzaq Tebeishat said yesterday that the Jordanian authorities will appoint a woman in every municipal council where no woman won in the municipal elections.

Meantime, the Jordanian authorities announced the discovery of a cell including extremists Islamists who were arrested before the war against Iraq on charges of planning to blow up embassies, tourism targets and American sites.

The Jordanian daily al-Rai quoted security sources as saying that the state's attorney general Mahmoud Obeidat is investigating the suspects who were arrested by the Jordanian intelligence before the war. Accusations were addressed to the suspects, four Saudis, and one Syrian of committing terrorist acts against the interests of the US and the West and of having explosives and being members in an illegal and secret group.