AMMAN/BAGHDAD: Relations between Baghdad and its neighbor Amman were in crisis as both governments recalled their envoys Sunday following a wave of protests over the Jordan media reports that a Jordanian man carried out the deadliest suicide bombing in Hillah since the fall of Saddam in which at least 132 people were martyred and up to 200 injured.

“Iraqis are feeling very bitter over what happened. We decided, as the Iraqi government, to recall the Iraqi ambassador from Amman to discuss this,” Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari told The Associated Press.

Jordan acted first, when Foreign Minister Hani Al-Mulqi announced the kingdom was recalling to Amman its top diplomat from Baghdad.

“We have recalled home for consultations charge d'affaires Dimai Haddad because the embassy (where he also lives) is unsafe for him, while other diplomats who live outside the embassy remain in Iraq," Mulki told AFP on the sidelines of a foreign ministers' meeting in Algiers ahead of Tuesday's summit.

Both countries said the officials were being recalled for "consultations," leaving open the possibility for their return.

Iraqis have been holding angry anti-Jordanian protests across the country burning the Jordan's flag and cursing King Abdullah II since after Holy Najaf Al-Hawzah Al-Ilmiyah – spiritual centre of Shia world – on Sunday March 13 severely condemned reported celebrations held by the family of a Jordanian man suspected of carrying out Feb. 28 terror attack in Hillah and warned that Iraq-Jordan relations are threatened under the Iraqi bloodshed.

Jordan daily Al-Ghadd reported without condemnation that a ceremony was held in Jordanian city of As-Salat to honor the Jordanian suicide bomber who killed at least 132 innocent Iraqis in Hillah bombing.

“In such a time when Iraqis’ hearts and eyes shed blood over the killing and injuring of hundreds of innocent men, women and children in the criminal operation done by Jordanian terrorist Raed Mansour Al-Banna in Hillah, his family and people of his city in Jordan held a celebratory function which the media reported with pride over the success of their cruel terrorist son in shedding innocent blood in the month of dignity – Muharram - on the soil of wounded Iraq,” the Hawzah statement said.

Anti Jordan Rallies in Iraq

‘Al-Ghadd’ and internet also published a picture of the celebratory function held in Deewan Al-Asheerah in central Al-Jad’aa area in As-Salat city which showed that father of the terrorist was receiving congratulations on the crime of his son.

On Monday, the Iraqi government denounced the celebrations.

The newspaper later issued a correction, however, saying it was not known where Al-Banna carried out an assault.

On Saturday night March 19, in an initiative from Bahrain, its ambassador Hasan Mal Allah Al-Ansari accompanied Jordan envoy Dimai Haddad to hold meeting with Chairman Supreme Council for Islamic Revolution in Iraq and head of United Iraqi Alliance Sayyed Abdul Aziz Al-Hakim in his Baghdad offices to offer him written apology to the Iraqi people and demand him to step in to calm emotions of angry Iraqis over the Hillah bombing committed by a Jordanian.

During the meeting, Haddad stressed that Jordan is also a target of terrorism as the joint enemy represented by terrorist Az-Zarqawi had attempted for chemical explosions in Jordan some time ago and that his attempt was thwarted. He said Jordan had forcefully condemned terrorism in Iraq and “particularly what happened in Hillah which left hundreds of civilians martyred and wounded”.

The ambassador promised to launch wide investigation to unveil those who are involved in terrorist activities to give them punishment. He added that Jordan is ready for treatment of all files that cause creation of atmosphere of row between the two countries, stressing that Jordan stands with the Iraqi people and offers all that is in its capacity to boost peace and stability that is in interest of Amman.

Jordan’s charge d'affaires Haddad also presented Al-Hakim a signed statement in the name of Jordanian government which contained proposals to end the crisis and which stated that celebrating terrorists or their acts is condemnable from all stratums of Jordan society.

Al-Hakim told Haddad how Jordanian acts hurt Iraqis, when after the ousting of bloody regime of Saddam, Jordan gave refuge to his family as guests to King Abdullah II and also the remains of the ousted regime took Amman as a place to plot terror operations that claimed hundreds of innocent Iraqis using money of Iraqi people that was transferred to Jordan banks to back their terrorist operations and supporting criminal groups that plotted and put into practice their terror acts to kill great signs of this patient nation like martyr Ayatullah Sayyed Muhammad Baqer Al-Hakim, the designer of whose assassination plot admitted that it was carried out by a Jordanian, and the same groups carried out other terrorist operations in Holy Najaf and Karbala.

Expressing condemnation for turning out of Jordan into a safe haven for Saddam remains and also open cooperation by a number of media with those who play with emotions of Iraqis to this extent that it aired and published celebrations to honor terrorists, Al-Hakim regretted a reported visit of King Abdullah II to headquarters of one of the newspapers that promotes terrorist acts.

Al-Hakim demanded clear apology from king Abdullah II and other Jordanian officials over crimes in Iraq, tracking of those who promote, encourage and carry out terrorism in Iraq, and formation of a committee to investigate into the event of honoring the terrorist.

Haddad promised to convey words of Al-Hakim to the Jordanian government.

Earlier on Saturday, the SCIRI chief Al-Hakim severely accused Jordan and its king that it sends terrorists to Iraq, and called on the Jordanian government to present an official apology for the Iraqi people for crimes committed by "Jordanian terrorists" in Iraq.

In a statement, Hakim underlined necessity that the Jordanian government tighten the grip on its borders to prevent flow of financial support to terrorists in Iraq.

Hakim also lashed at the Jordanian government for allowing Jordanian lawyers defend ousted Iraqi dictator Saddam.          

ISESCO flays plot to divide Shia-Sunni, Jordan apology demanded RABAT/BAGHDAD: Director-General of the Rabat-based Islamic Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ISESCO) has severely condemned conspiracy to divide Iraqis between Sunni and Shi'a, and separately big anti-Jordanian protests that began last Monday in Iraq continued. Hawza warns Baghdad-Amman relations under threat over terrorism HOLY CITY OF NAJAF, Iraq: Al-Hawzah Al-Ilmiyah An-Najaf Al-Ashraf - Center of Shiia World - has said Iraq-Jordan relations are threatened under the Iraqi bloodshed while expressing its surprise over Ayad Allawi government’s silence about Jordanian interference in Iraq’s internal affairs aimed at creating rift and hatred among the Iraqi people.