my comment: Jordan will be falling into line too, as their (government's) survival depends on the USA winning the coming war in Iraq also.
By JAMAL HALABY, Associated Press Writer
AMMAN, Jordan - Jordan's King Abdullah II replaced his Royal Court chief with a former army general Sunday, raising speculation that more changes lie ahead of a possible U.S.-led war on neighboring Iraq (news - web sites).
Yousef al-Dalabeeh, who has served as state minister for parliamentary affairs, replaced Fayez Tarawneh as court chief, who serves as a close adviser to the king.
Abdullah issued a decree appointing Tarawneh and making several other changes in his court.
The appointment of the former general raised speculation that Abdullah may reshuffle Cabinet posts to toughen his government's handling of domestic security if war breaks out in Iraq, Jordan's close trading partner and sole oil supplier.
"Today's changes are meant to give a signal to the Jordanians and the whole world that Jordan will not tolerate any deviation from or objection to the official policy adopted by the king," said Jordanian political analyst Labib Kamhawi.
Kamhawi said Prime Minister Ali Abul-Ragheb's government could be replaced by a Cabinet with a military background "if it failed to keep law and order (news - Y! TV)" during the looming war on Iraq.
The Royal Court chief post often has been a stepping stone to the prime minister's office. Tarawneh, who held the post for more than three years, previously served as prime minister. He also was court chief briefly in 1998 for Abdullah's father, King Hussein, who died of cancer in February 1999.
Al-Dalabeeh, 59, belongs to Jordan's prominent Bedouin Bani Hassan clan. He attended Britain's Sandhurst military academy in the 1960s and held several top army and government posts.
Other changes Sunday included the appointment of Faisal al-Fayez, the protocol chief, to minister of the Royal Court, a new Cabinet portfolio, according to the palace decree and documents made available to The Associated Press.
Emad Fakhoury, a state committee member overseeing the development of the Red Sea port of Aqaba, was appointed a general coordinator for Royal Court planning.
LINK:
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