Jordan cautiously falls in line with anti-American Arab stance
King Abdullah says he feels the 'pain and sorrow' of Iraqis
AMMAN - At a carefully orchestrated anti-war protest yesterday, undercover intelligence agents stood among the crowd of communists, Islamists and peaceniks. They held Jordanian flags and posters of King Abdullah, in an attempt to bolster the King's image.
"We're not members of any political party. We are independent," said one stern-faced man, refusing to elaborate.
But his closely cropped hair, carefully buttoned shirt and aggressive manner gave him away as a mukhabarat, or member of the secret police.
"Give me water," he barked at a journalist who was carrying several bottles of water in the 30C heat.
His presence was a reminder of the important political shift taking place in Jordan: Even as U.S. forces occupy Baghdad's international airport and seem poised to take the city, the King has taken a step closer to the Arab street and publicly condemned the war as an invasion
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