Jordan

Oxfam warned in a report on Monday that unabated violence in Iraq is masking a humanitarian crisis that has worsened since the United States-led invasion in 2003, putting at risk almost eight million Iraqis. While violence dominates the lives of millions of ordinary people inside Iraq, ”another kind of crisis” has been slowly unfolding, said the report.

Iraq warned of a humanitarian crisis on Thursday as it appealed to the international community to help countries hosting hundreds of thousands of Iraqis uprooted by war. ”The Iraqi government calls on the international community, in particular neighbouring countries, to support Iraq,” said Mohammed al-Hajj al-Hmud of Iraq’s Foreign Ministry.

Three suspected Jordanian Islamists appeared in court on Wednesday accused of plotting to assassinate United States President George Bush when he visited the country last year. Nidal Momani, Sattam Zawahra and Tharwat Ali Draz were arrested on November 28, a day before Bush visited Jordan, and later indicted on charges of ”conspiracy to carry out terrorist plots”.

Saddam Hussein’s Iraqi lawyer said on Friday he will write a book revealing ”many secrets” told to him by the executed dictator about the fall of Baghdad, his arrest and imprisonment. ”The book will contain information never before revealed and many secrets about the fall of Baghdad,” Khalil al-Dulaimi told Agence France-Press in a telephone interview about the book he is planning.

Hundreds of thousands of Iraqis have sought safe haven from the violence at home in neighbouring Jordan, where the influx of migrants has triggered concerns over inflation and job losses. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees has said more than 700 000 Iraqis fled to Jordan in the aftermath of the United States-led 2003 war.

United States President George Bush praised Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki as a ”strong leader” on Thursday and said he agreed with him that any partition of Iraq would only increase violence. Bush’s show of support for Maliki came after US officials insisted the Iraqi leader had not snubbed Bush on Wednesday when the two had been expected to meet.