Iraq’s Deputy PM supports Jordanian govt.’s demand to release Jordanian prisoners in Iraq

BAGHDAD / IraqiNews.com: Iraq’s Deputy Prime Minister, Saleh al-Mutlaq, has announced support for the Jordanian government’s demand to release Jordanian prisoners in Iraq, provided that they were not sentenced for terrorist acts, a Jordanian newspaper reported on Sunday. “Mutlaq has announced that he would support the Jordanian demand, presented to the Iraqi Council of Ministers, to release Jordanian prisoners in Iraq, provided that they were not sentenced for terrorist acts,” Jordan’s Al-Ghad newspaper said. In a related issue, Iraq’s Ambassador to Amman, Jawad Hadi Abbas, had “announced Iraq’s approval to organize visits for the families of Jordanian prisoners in Iraq, locked in Iraqi prisons.” “Iraq’s Justice Ministry wishes to organize visits for families of Jordanian prisoners in Iraq, to see the conditions of their sons and make sure of the good measures taken by us towards them,” he said, reaffirming that “all prisoners in Iraq are being treated in a humanitarian way, according to international regulations in this respect.” Jordan’s Former Prime Minister, Samir al-Rafa’e, who visited Baghdad on Dec. 3rd last, had discussed with his Iraqi Counterpart, Nouri al-Maliki, the conditions of the Jordanian prisoners in Iraq, the Jordanian newspaper said. Noteworthy is that the number of Jordanian prisoners in Iraqi and U.S. prisons in Iraq is about 50 prisoners, according to the said newspaper, most of them arrested in spring 2003, after the U.S. occupation of Iraq. SKH(RT)/SR 337