Jordan's king orders envoy back to Iraq
(Agencies)
Updated: 2005-03-22 08:51

Jordanian King Abdullah II ordered the return of Jordan's top diplomat in Iraq Monday, just a day after the two nations withdrew their envoys in a dispute over the infiltration of insurgents across the border, the official Jordanian news agency said.

Petra reported that the king ordered the envoy's return to Baghdad "to keep the good relations between the two brotherly countries."

The flag of Iraq flies over the Jordanian embassy in Baghdad, Iraq Monday, March 21, 2005. Iraq and neighboring Jordan are engaged in a diplomatic spat, announcing a tit-for-tat withdrawal of high-level representatives Sunday in a growing dispute over Shiite Muslim claims that Jordan is failing to block terrorists from entering Iraq. [AP]

Iraq and Jordan engaged in a tit-for-tat withdrawal of envoys Sunday over Iraqi claims that Jordan was failing to stop would-be insurgents from slipping across the border.

Both countries said the diplomats were being recalled for "consultations."

In a bid to heal the rift, Jordan's Prime Minister Faisal al-Fayez met outgoing Iraqi President Ghazi Al Yawar and Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari on Monday in Algiers, Algeria. They were awaiting Tuesday's start of an Arab summit meeting.

Petra quoted Fayez in Algiers as condemning the insurgency in Iraq and saying: "Terror knows no religion or nationality and Jordan has faced several terrorist attempts targeting its security and stability.

Tension between the two countries simmered the last week. At one point, Iraqi demonstrators hoisted the Iraqi flag at the Jordanian Embassy in Baghdad and the leading political party, the United Iraqi Alliance, claimed Jordan was allowing insurgents to cross into Iraq.

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