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Jordan's Stand on Exiled Hamas Leaders Unchanged: Official
Jordan has not changed its policy on four exiled leaders of the Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement Hamas, and will continue to ban Jordanians from working for any political groups on its soil, a government official said.
"There is no truth in recent reports about the government's change of heart in this case, and the government position is clear," the unnamed official said, quoted by the semi-official English newspaper Jordan Times on Wednesday.
The official was referring to recent local press reports which speculated about the government's desire to seek political channels for the possible return of Hamas political chief Khaled Mashaal, spokesman Ibrahim Ghosheh and two other senior Hamas leaders.
The four, all of Palestinian origin but holding Jordanian passports, were expelled to Doha, Qatar, in November 1999 following a government clampdown on the movement on charges of undermining the kingdom's stability, being affiliated with an illegal foreign organization and stockpiling explosives.
Jordanian government said the legal files against them remained open and they would be tried again in court if they venture a return to the kingdom.
Their lawyer Saleh Armouti, president of the Jordan Bar Association (JBA), said earlier this month that Jordanian Prime Minister Ali Abu Ragheb had raised very positive points to solve the case out of the court.
Armouti said the prime minister hinted that the Hamas members " do not face any security restrictions" in the kingdom, a remark which he believed reflected the government desire to seek political channels for the possible return of the Hamas leaders.
The Hamas members had filed a law suit last June to a Jordanian court to overturn the government decision to exile them, but the appeal was rejected by the court.
They have decided to file a second appeal at the Jordan's Higher Court of Justice soon after the new year holidays.
Hamas remains opposed to any peace talks with Israel and stands for a holy war to liberate all Palestinian territories occupied by the Jewish state during successive Middle East wars.
Jordan signed a peace treaty with Israel in 1994 and has been a major peace mediator between Israel and its Arab neighbors.
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