Britain closes embassy in Jordan

By Suleiman al-Khalidi

AMMAN (Reuters) – Britain closed its embassy in Jordan on
Saturday because of fears of attacks on Westerners but
Jordanian authorities said the closure was unnecessary.

The move comes two months after triple suicide bomb attacks
on luxury hotels in Amman killed more than 50 people. Al Qaeda
in Iraq, led by Jordanian Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, claimed
responsibility.

Last August, militants linked to Zarqawi were accused by
Jordan of being behind a failed rocket attack on U.S. warships
in the Red Sea port of Aqaba.

“Terrorists may be in the final stages of planning attacks
against Westerners and places frequented by Westerners,” the
British Foreign Office Web site said.

“The British Embassy in Amman will be closed until further
notice due to the security situation.”

Britain is a prime target for its support for the U.S-led
invasion of Iraq in 2003.

Jordanian officials said security authorities who assessed
an undisclosed threat received by the British embassy had
concluded the closure was unnecessary.

“In this particular case the security authorities after
assessing the threat concluded that it did not warrant the
closure of the embassy,” Nasser Joudeh, government spokesman
told Reuters.

Joudeh said this was not intended to belittle a threat to a
diplomatic mission.

“Any threat is not taken lightly,” he added.

Joudeh said the authorities had taken extra security
measures to protect the embassy compound in the affluent Abdoun
neighborhood of Amman where many Western missions are based.

“At the same time security arrangements around the embassy
were reinforced and the government again reiterates whether
there is a threat or not it is concerned with providing the
utmost protection to diplomatic missions,” Joudeh said.

Officials say Islamist militants are seeking to destabilize
Jordan because of its pro-western stance. Amman’s support for
the U.S. led invasion of Iraq angered many Jordanians.

A spokesman at the Foreign Office said its advice to
British travelers to Jordan remained unchanged, but there was
sufficient reason to close the mission temporarily.

“We can’t comment on any intelligence we may have or the
specific nature of the threat,” he said.

The travel advice to Britons going to Jordan is to take
precautions to ensure their personal safety and be aware there
could be developments that may affect the security situation.

Visitors are warned to take extra care when using Jordanian
taxis to go to neighboring countries.

About 51,000 British nationals visited Jordan in 2004,
mainly as tourists, and most visits were trouble-free.