Showdown Over Saddam's Daughter
Strategy Page
June 30, 2006: 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.
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