PUBLIC AND OFFICIAL REACTION TO AMMAN BOMBINGS IS

UNCLAS SANAA 003227 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PTER PREL JO YM SUBJECT: PUBLIC AND OFFICIAL REACTION TO AMMAN BOMBINGS IS SWIFT AND FIRM ¶1. Public and official reactions to the November 9 hotel bombings in Amman were uniformly expressions of the un-islamic nature of the attacks, and disgust for the perpetrators. According to Embassy local employees, some 150 people -- including men and women of several nationalities -- gathered in front of the Jordanian Embassy in the afternoon of November 10, carrying images of King Abdullah II, and handing out leaflets strongly condemning the attacks as un-islamic and demanding simply "stop terrorism." ¶2. Also on November 10, the ROYG's official news agency quoted a Foreign Ministry official who strongly condemned the attacks and expressed solidarity with the government and people of Jordan. ¶3. COMMENT: It is not common to see such public displays of grief and anger over foreign terrorist acts in Yemen, but the recent visit of the Jordanian monarch, and the presence of a sizeable Jordanian community in Yemen may have caused these particular attacks to strike closer to home for some Yemenis. Khoury