Jordan’s King ‘Abdallah II doesn’t believe that what he called “indisputable elections” in Iraq are possible amid the present chaos. The King told the French newspaper Le Figaro that if the security situation does not improve, only extremists will benefit from the exercise.
Some saw ‘Abdallah’s comments as a rebuke to American President George W. Bush, who, along with Iraqi leaders, has vowed to press on with elections regardless of the lack of improvement in the security situation.
One analyst for The Media Line, however, suggests that the statement from one of America’s key Middle East allies should be read in conjunction with Secretary of Defense Rumsfeld’s warning to U.S. Senators last week that voting might not be possible in areas where there is significant fighting. In that context, it might indicate that the American administration is preparing the public for a delay in the voting.