Jordan renews support for Iraq unity

AMMAN – Prime Minister Abdullah Ensour on Thursday said that Jordan supports the territorial integrity of Iraq, the national unity of its people and never intends to interfere in its internal affairs. 

At a meeting with chief editors of daily newspapers and columnists, the premier described relations between Amman and Baghdad as “good”, referring to the letter His Majesty King Abdullah sent to Iraqi President Fouad Massoum on Wednesday to congratulate him on entrusting Haider Al Abadi with forming the new Iraqi government. 

In the letter, King Abdullah stressed Jordan’s full commitment to maintaining the unity of Iraq, stressing the importance of forming a new government to pave the way for empowering Iraq and enabling it to consolidate its national unity and meet the aspirations of the Iraqi people towards democracy and pluralism.

On July 19, the government of former Iraqi prime minister Nouri Al Maliki recalled its envoy to Amman for urgent consultation following an opposition meeting that gathered Sunni and tribal leaders and businessmen in Amman.

Participants at the meeting launched their first unified coalition calling on the international community to boycott the Maliki government.

Commenting on the question of future ties with Iraq, Ensour expressed Jordan’s relief that politicians in Baghdad put their differences aside and agreed on a new premier to work on restoring the stability of the country. 

The gathering in Amman was held by moderate figures and took place in a moderate country that has always called for maintaining the unity of Iraq, said Ensour, adding that the final statement made by the opposition stressed the importance of protecting Iraq’s national unity. 

“Jordan has never interfered in Iraq’s internal affairs and will never do so,” he added.