Jordanians protest a trade deal with Israel

Scores of Jordanian demonstrators staged a sit-in in front of the Jordanian Vocational Union premises Thursday to protest the accord that Jordan and Israel have signed to upgrade trade between them.

The deal obliges Jordan to abolish many customs duties on Israeli products by 2010.

Participants in the protests which organized by the Committee of Protecting Homeland and Resisting Normalization called to cancel all accords with Israel and not to sign any more.

A statement for the Jordanian Unions said "the time of the signatory poses as a backing for the Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and his terrorist government that perpetrated the ugliest crimes against the Palestinians."