There are some interesting troubles
developing between Iraq and Jordan. Recently, an Iraqi court issued a
warrant for the arrest of Raghdad Hussein, Saddam's daughter. Since the
collapse of her father's regime in Iraq, Raghdad has been acting as the
"queenpin" of the Baathist terrorist operation, helping to fund
operations from a vast pool of money that her father had stashed abroad
during his decades in power, and apparently offering advice and
guidance to the terrorists as well.
Since
Raghdad has been living in Jordan, the immediate result of the warrant
was that things continued on as they had before. Recently, however,
some members of the new Iraqi government have proposed making a formal
request, through diplomatic channels, that the Jordanian government
honor the warrant.
During the years
of Saddam's dictatorship, Jordan maintained cordial ties with Iraq. The
late King Hussein even sided with Iraq during the 1990-1991 Kuwait War.
Ties between Saddam's family and the Jordanian royals appear to have
been close. In fact, Raghdad's stay in Jordan has been rather pleasant.
She has been more or less treated as a prominent guest, is free to move
about the country and even travel abroad, using a Jordanian passport.
Jordanian security personnel have been provided to insure her safety,
and the government has made no efforts to interfere in her financial
transactions and terrorist activities.
So
if Iraq asks Jordan to honor the warrant against Raghdad, there is a
considerable chance that the Jordanians will refuse, touching off a
major political and diplomatic crisis.