Jordan probes attacks on protesters

Riot police beat protesters with sticks Friday on the streets of Amman, Jordan.A Jordanian official promises to probe "a police attack on a pro-reform march"4 police officers suspected of attacking protesters have already been detainedVideo shows police beating, punching and kicking people, some of them journalists

(CNN) -- A Jordanian official ordered an investigation Saturday to look into police officers' attacks on pro-reform demonstrators in Amman, state-run media reported.

Riot police punched, kicked and beat protesters with sticks Friday on the streets of Amman, according to CNN reporters on the scene. Several journalists were among those caught up in the violence, in some instances attacked by police.

Police Capt. Mahmoud El-Khatib initially said that authorities only used "appropriate force" to prevent even worse bloodshed among what he called two groups of protesters -- one backing the government, the other calling for reform.

But witnesses said there were no such rival groups, blaming police using batons and other means to beat back protesters.

Lt. Gen. Hussein Majali, the head of Jordan's public security department, on Saturday described the incident as a "police attack on a pro-reform march in Amman," according to the Petra news agency. This same report said the demonstration was organized by the Muslim Brotherhood and youth groups, which is distinct from its account the previous day.

Majali called for the creation of a panel of "senior officers" to investigate, a probe that began Friday night. This investigation, which will use "video material available to the committee," is expected to be done within 72 hours, followed by possible criminal trials.

Already, four policemen have been detained as suspects for their involvement in the violence, according to Petra, which was citing a statement from the Middle Eastern nation's public security department.

While there have been demonstrations in Jordan, as elsewhere in the Arab world, they have been largely peaceful and few have called for the ouster of its ruler, King Abdullah II.

Still, the violence Friday was at times stark.

One man lay on the ground, covered with blood-soaked tissues after a witness said he was hit in the head. Another man had a big gash on his arm. A woman, part of a group of 20 huddled together, said she felt shaky after being knocked in the head.

The state-run news report did not offer a casualty count, beyond claiming that 17 police officers were injured in the clashes.

There were "light to medium injuries to a number of journalists," Petra reported.

Mohammed Hanoun, a photographer, said he was attacked by police -- arguing with an official press liaison, who denied the media was being targeted.

"This is the moment I was hit," said Hanoun, showing a picture. "Do you see it? This is the last picture I took; he hit me with the shield."

Journalists typically wear orange vests in Jordan so they can be identified from protesters or police. Many media members took off their orange vests in solidarity with attacked journalists on Friday.

Salman Al Masaed, who was in the front row of the pro-reform demonstration, said he had no doubt that it was police -- and not rival protesters -- waging the offensive.

"We did not see a single person attack us," he said. "The only people that attacked us were the security forces, with their batons."

CNN

Blast hits Egypt's gas pipeline to Israel, Jordan (AP)

EL-ARISH, Egypt – Unidentified assailants blew up the Egyptian pipeline that carries gas to Israel and Jordan early on Monday, starting a fire and disrupting the flow of the gas, security officials said.

The blast took place in the northern part of the Sinai Peninsula, near the Mediterranean coastal city of El-Arish, which is 30 miles (50 kilometers) from Israel's border.

The Egyptian officials had no further details and there were no immediate reports of casualties. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media.

The blast is the third to hit the strategic pipeline since an uprising overthrew Egypt's longtime leader Hosni Mubarak in February.

No one claimed responsibility for Monday's explosion. Disgruntled Bedouin tribesmen in the area have been blamed for attacking the pipeline in the past.

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Jordan King promises to speed democratic reforms (Reuters)

AMMAN (Reuters) – Jordan's King Abdullah said on Sunday he was committed to pushing ahead with democratic reforms, but believed street pressure for change was a recipe for chaos.

The monarch, speaking in a televised speech marking his 12 years as ruler and ninety years of the state's creation, said he backed a new electoral law proposed by a government-appointed panel that would allow for a cabinet to be elected by a parliamentary majority rather than being chosen by him.

"We hope these recommendations ensure a modern electoral law that leads to a parliament that is representative of all Jordanians," he said.

Parliaments are currently elected under laws that ensure a pliant pro-government assembly composed of tribal loyalists.

The Islamist-led opposition has expressed disappointment over the limited nature of the reforms proposed by the committee that they boycotted and which came after weeks of street protests earlier this year calling for political changes.

The proposals unveiled last week keep intact a gross underrepresentation of Jordan's cities, mostly inhabited by Palestinians, to ensure a dominance by rural, sparsely populated tribal areas over the large cities, including the capital which have long been the opposition Islamist strongholds.

"As we witness the changes in the region, this demands making a difference between the required democratic changes and between the dangers of chaos and (fitna) sedition on the other," he said.

The Hashemite monarchy is viewed as an arbiter among feuding tribes and a unifying force that holds together the country's two main competing groups, East Bank native Jordanians and their countrymen of Palestinian origin.

The monarch has faced pressures for reforms by a broad calls from the Islamists, the country's largest political force to leftists and tribal figures, to relinquish his extensive powers, ranging from appointing cabinets to dissolving parliament.

Jordan's Muslim Brotherhood, the largest political party, and liberal politicians alongside opposition tribal figures say political freedoms in Jordan have been eroded in recent years and accuse the authorities of resisting change.

The monarch defended his reformist credentials since he ascended the throne in 1999, saying he had long pushed for reforms which he has long accused vested interests within the establishment of derailing.

King Abdullah said he wanted a empowered legislature and amendments to the constitution that would usher greater political rights but could not accept reform pressures from unnamed radical groups that agitated through street protests.

"Our reformist vision is through speedy reforms that respond to our peoples desires... away from recourse to the street and the absence of reason," he said.

The kingdom has not seen the turmoil that has spread across the Arab world since January, leading to the overthrow of long-time regimes in Tunisia and Egypt as well as clashes in Syria, Yemen and Bahrain.

(Writing by Suleimen al-Khalidi; Editing Matthew Jones)

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Jordan recognizes Libya interim council

Libyan Muslims perform their evening prayer Tuesday at Revolution Square in Benghazi.Amman will send a permanent envoy to the rebel-held city of BenghaziJordan's foreign minister gave the news in a call to council's executive committee chiefItaly, France and Qatar also recognize the interim council as Libyans' representative

(CNN) -- Jordan considers Libya's Interim National Council to be the legitimate representative of the Libyan people and will send a permanent envoy to the rebel-held city of Benghazi, Jordan's foreign minister said Tuesday, according to the state-run news agency Petra.

Foreign Minister Nasser Judeh imparted the news in a telephone conversation with the head of the interim council's executive committee and its foreign policy point man, Mahmoud Jibril, Petra said.

"The minister hailed the council's actions and 'responsible' positions, which he said reflected the Libyan people's demands, ambitions and hopes for a new era of freedom, independence and unity, adding that the council's positions and statements are consolidating its standing internally and in the world," Petra said.

Judeh said the permanent envoy in Benghazi would work to "better coordinate with the council" and ensure the continued safe flow of Jordanian aid and medical supplies to Libyans.

Jordan joins only a few countries, including France, Italy and Qatar, that have recognized Libya's interim council as the legitimate representative of the Libyan people.

CNN's Caroline Faraj contributed to this story.

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