Lawmakers call for ‘firm collective stand’ to abort IS’ ploy

AMMAN — Parliament on Thursday expressed full support for the efforts exerted by the Jordanian Armed Forces-Arab Army to bring Jordanian pilot Muath Kasasbeh home unharmed. 

In a joint statement by the two Houses of Parliament, lawmakers expressed confidence in the professionalism of the Jordanian negotiators with the so-called Islamic State (IS), acknowledging at the same time the difficulty of the mission with regard to the untrustworthiness of the radical organisation and the unreliability of their "provocative" prisoner swap bid.

The statement was issued following a meeting of heads of parliamentary committees and members of the two Chambers' permanent bureaus with Prime Minister Abdullah Ensour, during which the premier gave a briefing on the Jordanian efforts to free Kasasbeh.

In the statement, a copy of which was sent to The Jordan Times, the two Houses said they were well-informed about the difficulties the Jordanian negotiators are facing with IS, which revealed an “evil intention” by trying to divert the pilot’s case to “marginal negotiations”.

The legislators said that IS has offered no serious offer that guarantees Kasasbeh’s release.

The two Houses also stressed the ambiguity of IS’ negotiating position with Jordan in contrast with the Kingdom’s clarity regarding the prisoner exchange bid, adding that IS was procrastinating regarding the Jordanian demand for proof of life.

Parliament has stressed the need for a firm collective stance on Kasasbeh’s case at official and public levels to aptly deal with the challenge at hand, calling on Jordanians and the state’s institutions to work collaboratively to derail the radical organisation’s attempts to destabilise the country.