Jordan to Return Planes to Iraq: ReportJordan will soon return six Iraqi passenger planes, which have been stranded in the country since January 1991, to their proprietor, the official Al-Zawra weekly reported Thursday.Quoting a source from the Iraqi Ministry of Transport and Communications, the report said that the planes are expected to be put into civil service again after their return to Iraq, as domestic flights have been resumed earlier this month in defiance of the sweeping United Nations sanctions. However, the report did not give an exact time for Jordan's planned return of the planes. In January 1991, just before the Gulf War broke out, Iraq sent some 30 passenger planes subordinate to the Iraqi Airways to Jordan, Libya, Tunisia and Iran to avoid military attacks by the United States-led multi-national coalition army. The planes have since remained in these countries and out of Iraq's possession. Iraq has repeatedly called for the return of these planes and set up a special committee last week to negotiate with these countries on the issue. Besides Jordan, Tunisia has responded positively and expressed that it saw no problem in returning the aircraft to Iraq. Iraq has been using refitted helicopters for its domestic flights as there is only one passenger plane left in the sanctions- hit country. |
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