U.S. missile attacks on Iraq were an unjustified use of deadly force that Arab nations view as a cynical exercise in American presidential politics, said Jordanian Ambassador Fayez A. Tarawneh.
"The public opinion in our region is that this was a direct response to Republican criticism of (the Clinton administration) doing nothing," he said Thursday.Rather than weaken Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein, the U.S. bombings "boosted him," Tarawneh said.
"Once you have this kind of action - unjustified action - people will sympathize. (Saddam) was going into his own territory and was told to go back," he said.
If Iraq invaded another country, as it did in Kuwait six years ago, "that would be a different ballgame," Tarawneh said. "But for now, (Saddam) is behaving within his own sphere, and he is not in violation of anything."
The Washington-based ambassador's comments came between visits with Utah Gov. Mike Leavitt and Mormon Church leaders.
Leavitt asked no questions of Tarawneh concerning the crisis in Iraq, instead treating the session as a courtesy visit. He quizzed the ambassador on the structural workings of Jordan's constitutional monarchy and chatted about Tarawneh's family and career.
Earlier this week, Jordan's Chamber of Deputies urged Arab unity against "American barbarism."
Tarawneh was careful to avoid such invective, pointing to his role as a diplomat. "All I can say is that the United States rushed into this."
He said Jordan's denunciation was directed at the U.S. action, not the nation or the administration.
The attacks hurt U.S. interests by eroding American credibility and bolstering the regional standing of Iran, Tarawneh said.
"Any weakening of Iraq is giving Iran a push. Iraq has proved in the decade of the 1980s that Iraq is the only country that can stop Iran. And there is no action against Iran," he said.
Tarawneh, 47, a native of Amman, obtained his doctorate in economics at the University of Southern California. He worked several years as an economic adviser and minister to the government before being selected by King Hussein for the ambassadorship.
Tarawneh spent Thursday morning inspecting Hill Air Force Base, including the F-16s based there. Today, he was scheduled to speak at Brigham Young University and tour facilities constructed for the 2002 Winter Olympics before returning Saturday to Washington.