Ammon News - AMMONNEWS - Jordan is facing pressure from Iraq to hand over a number of people who are wanted in the country, including former dictator Saddam Hussein’s daughter Raghad, a Saudi newspaper has reported.

Okaz reported that Jordan sees attempts to block trade and economic cooperation between the two countries as being a result of official attempts to “blackmail” it into surrendering those wanted by Baghdad.

“Amman cannot bow to it, especially with the presence of half a million Iraqis in Jordan, including those opposed to the political process,” the paper quoted a Jordanian source as saying.

The source continued that Iraqi Prime Minister Adil Abdul Mahdi had previously refused to link the economic and commercial files between the two countries with the political. Connections between the matter would damage relations between Iraq and its neighbours, the source added.

*MEM