Washington, Apr 4 (FN Agency) The United States has expressed support for King Abdullah II of Jordan and said that it is closely monitoring the situation in the country, the US State Department said. On Saturday former crown prince of Jordan Hamzah bin Hussein was reportedly put under house arrest by the rulers for allegedly criticising the administration.
Sputnik quoted US State Department Spokesperson Ned Price saying “We are closely following the reports and in touch with Jordanian officials. King Abdullah is a key partner of the United States, and he has our full support,”. Chairman of the joint chiefs of staff Yousef Huneiti was quoted by the Petra news agency as saying that King Abdullah’s half-brother was asked to cease “movements and activities that are used to target” the security and stability of Jordan.
The news agency had earlier reported the arrests of some other high profile personalities of the royal family for security reasons. Apart from the US, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Egypt, Iraq, Kuwait, and Lebanon have all expressed support for King Abdullah and Jordan’s measures aimed at maintaining stability in the kingdom. The Gulf Cooperation Council(GCC) has also expressed support for King Abdullah’s efforts to maintain security, according to a statement obtained by Sputnik.