[This report does not necessarily reflect
the views of the United Nations]
AMMAN, 10 Nov 2005 (IRIN) - Aid
agencies operating from the Jordanian, capital, Amman, that serve Iraq
said they will remain vigilant and are in the process of discussing whether
further security measures are needed following Wednesday's bombs attacks.
Al-Qaeda has claimed responsibility for the explosions at the Grand Hyatt, Radisson and Days Inn hotels in the capital, in which 59 were killed and nearly 100 injured, according to government statistics.
A spokesperson for the International Committee for the Red Cross (ICRC) for Iraq, Rana Sidani, said the humanitarian relief body was still assessing the situation.
"We have been meeting all day to assess how the blasts will affect our work and decisions. We are definitely not going to get armed escorts or further security reinforcements to our offices," she said.
"It's too early to say to what extent it will affect our work," Sidani added.
Many NGOs and the UN serving Iraq have relocated to Jordan over the past few years due to deteriorating security. The UN suffered one of the biggest blows ever when its headquarters in Baghdad was targeted by terrorists in August 2003, killing 22 people.
United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan, currently travelling in the Middle East, condemned the bombings, and reiterated his longstanding call for the adoption of a comprehensive international treaty to fight the scourge of terrorism, a UN statement said.
Guillaume Laurent, coordinator for the NGOs Coordination Committee for Iraq (NCCI), based in Amman, said they too were being more vigilant, but may decide on new moves on their security status by early next week.
"We are trying to assess what the consequences are. For the time being we are trying to avoid international hotels," Laurent said,
NCCI is an umbrella organisation for over 100 NGO's spread across Iraq, Kuwait and Jordan.
Laurent added that NCCI staff would continue to go to work, but that the blasts could have an impact on their Iraqi employees based in Amman - if they face tougher security searches by Jordanian security who have stepped up their measures.
Schools, businesses and government offices were closed on Thursday as the stunned kingdom prepared to bury the dead. Police and troops threw up roadblocks around hotels and embassies in the capital. In government buildings, national flags flew at half mast.
[ENDS]
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