JORDAN/IRAQ: The National Mobilisation Committee in Defence of Iraq is winding up its month-long campaign to enlist Jordanian civilians to volunteer as human shields in the event of a US war against Iraq, reports Michael Jansen, in Amman
"Thousands have signed up to go to Baghdad," said Mr Hakim al-Fayiz, the committee's secretary general. "We expect more. The deadline is the 17th. We cannot say exactly how many because we have not gathered in the lists from our centres all over the country."
While the original stated objective was to transport 100,000 Jordanians to Iraq where they would install themselves at key installations, Mr al-Fayiz said the first group, which will depart at the end of this week, will number 100-120.
This group will represent the Islamist, nationalist and leftist groupings which founded the committee following the 40-hour "Desert Fox" bombing of Iraq carried out by the US and Britain in December 1998. Seventeen opposition political parties, three trade unions and most of the country's professional associations belong to the movement.
Mr Sami Awadallah, its deputy head, said: "All Jordan's civil society is in the movement. We are not against our government, we are against US policy in the region. We do not encourage anyone to do anything they should not do. But we have a difficult task because the situation is delicate, people are very tense."
Volunteers determined to make the 10-hour 1,000-kilometre journey pay for their own travel and accommodation and stay for as long as they can manage.
Mr Salem Nahas of the Popular Democratic party, said that the committee's slogan is "Defending Iraq is defending Jordan, Palestine and the Arab nation". He said: "We in Jordan are caught between two conflicts, Palestine in the west and Iraq in the east. We face great danger if anything happens in Iraq. Palestinians and Iraqis know whom they are fighting. If there is trouble here, we will be fighting our own people." There is the expectation that if there is war "people will attack US interests and targets", he said.
Mr Mansour Mourad, an independent member of Jordan's outgoing parliament, agreed. "Today is not like 1991 when the Arab nation stood by and watched the US-led attack on Iraq. People are frustrated because our governments cannot do anything to stop it. Washington does not listen to what they say." Jordan's parliamentary election has been postponed due to the threat of war.