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To: CIMA who wrote (27883)	2/8/1999 5:47:00 AM
From: Alex	Respond to of 116764

Security alert for Hussein funeral BY CHRISTOPHER WALKER IN AMMAN A HUGE security operation is being mounted in Jordan today to protect Western leaders attending the state funeral of King Hussein from possible attacks by Iraqi agents. Western experts fear that President Clinton and Tony Blair, the instigators of last December's Operation Desert Fox, could be targets for hit squads from the thousands of agents inside the kingdom. Mr Blair and Mr Clinton flew to Amman last night. The American and British leaders will be among about 40 heads of state and government from around the world attending the funeral, which will also see hardline Israelis like Binyamin Netanyahu, the Prime Minister, and Ariel Sharon, the Foreign Minister, join mourners from radical Arab states still technically at war with Israel such as Iraq, Libya and possibly Syria. In recent years, agents acting for President Saddam Hussein of Iraq and his eldest son, Uday, have been responsible for a number of acts of violence in Jordan and are known to operate an intelligence network here which spies on the many refugees from the Iraqi dictatorship. One Western expert said: "Even Islamic extremists in Jordan are not expected to cause trouble out of respect for the dead King, a direct descendant of the Prophet Muhammad. But for the Iraqis, it is probably the only chance they will ever get to have both Clinton and Blair in their sights. Frankly, it is going to be a security nightmare." Jordan recently reinforced its forces along the borders with both Iraq and Syria in an effort to deter attempts by either of the radical regimes to take advantage of the ascension to the Jordanian throne of King Abdullah II, 37, Hussein's eldest son, to launch an attack or foment unrest. Despite the precautions, it is admitted by Jordanian officials that both borders are porous and have been used for smuggling weapons into the kingdom in recent months. Iraqi anger at the American and British leaders provoked by the bombing of Baghdad has been aggravated by further incidents, including attacks on Iraqi planes and air defences inside the no-fly zones imposed on the north and south of the country. Buckingham Palace confirmed yesterday that the Prince of Wales would attend the funeral on behalf of the Queen. In Moscow it was announced that a still-ailing President Yeltsin would lead Russia's delegation. The huge turnout of mourners from around the world in a country with fewer than five million inhabitants is evidence both of the enormous international respect and affection for the late King, who had ruled for the past 47 years, and evidence of Jordan's pivotal strategic importance. The official Iraqi news agency Ina announced Hussein's death without comment in a bulletin from Amman. Relations between the two countries have improved since a deterioration at the start of 1998. An economic pact was signed earlier this month and an oil agreement was concluded. The guest list for the funeral outweighs in numbers and seniority those for two previous occasions of similar significance in the Middle East, the Cairo funeral of the Egyptian President Anwar Sadat after his assassination in 1981, and the burial of Yitzhak Rabin, the Israeli Prime Minister, after his murder by a Jewish right-wing fanatic in 1995. Mr Rabin's widow, Leah, will be prominent among a large Israeli contingent to be led by President Weizman. It will also include Shimon Peres, the doveish former Prime Minister, and Yitzhak Shamir, another former Prime Minister but one whose ultra-nationalist views have frequently been attacked by the Jordanian Government. The late King, who was pronounced dead from the effects of lymphatic cancer at 11.43am yesterday after two days on a life-support machine, was surrounded by controversy even in his dying hours. Jordanian sources said that an attempt by Queen Noor, his American-born fourth wife, to have his body moved from the intensive care ward of the Hussein Medical Centre near Amman to one of his palaces, was rejected by doctors. King Abdullah will be the youngest ruler in the region. Under the Jordanian constitution, he will enjoy the same sweeping powers as his father with the right to appoint the Prime Minister. In a surprise move, King Abdullah last night named his half brother, Prince Hamzah, as Crown Prince and heir apparent by a royal decree. The 18-year-old Crown Prince, who is currently at Sandhurst, is the eldest son of Hussein's four children from his fourth marriage to Queen Noor. In the weeks before Hussein's death, there had been heated speculation that the Queen was pressing for Hamzah to be named as his successor. Last night's move was seen as a further attempt to try to unify the family against the difficult times ahead. Jordanian sources added that the King's widow would be able to retain her title as Queen. the-times.co.uk