JORDAN: Some 250 representatives of 13 opposition parties braved an arctic wind yesterday to stage a symbolic pro-Iraq demonstration in front of UN headquarters in the Jordanian capital.
The parties, spanning the spectrum of opinion, included the Jordanian Communist Party, secular Arab nationalists, Ba'athists, socialists and the Muslim Brotherhood, a mainstay of the monarchy for half a century.
The majority taking part were well dressed middle-aged men and women.
A handful of women in traditional embroidered Palestinian dresses raised the Palestinian and Iraqi flags and chanted slogans calling for an end to threats against Iraq and the Israeli occupation of the Palestinian territories.
Mrs Emily Naffa, a member of the politburo of the Communist Party, told The Irish Times: "We are working hard to prevent a war and to halt Israeli violence against the Palestinians. We have met with European Union women's organisations and other groups."
After half an hour, six party representatives delivered a short letter addressed to the UN Secretary General, Mr Kofi Annan. The letter called on the organisation to assume its responsibilities in Palestine and Iraq and halt warfare in the region.
Since popular protests are banned, this event, organised by the Jordanian National Mobilisation Committee in Defence of Iraq, licensed on condition that the number of those taking part was limited, took the form of a sit-down and participants displayed no banners or flags.
Only the restrictions on numbers and duration were observed. At least two dozen police were deployed at the site.
The Mobilisation Committee's plan to send a first batch of human shields to Baghdad tomorrow has been put on hold, at Iraq's request, until the situation is "hot", a spokesman said.
In agreement with the sentiments expressed by opposition parties, the Jordanian government rejects any war against Iraq and is highly critical of Israel's offensive against the Palestinians. But, since popular feeling is on the boil, the authorities are keeping a tight lid on the pot.
Jordan's five-million people, half of whom are of Palestinan origin, are largely sympathetic to their neighbours in Iraq, which fired Scud missiles on Israel during the 1991 Gulf War.
The Jordanian government has repeatedly spoken against a war on Iraq and said it will not take part in one.