AMMAN, 4 April 2003 — The Jordanian Baath Party is alive and well in Amman, and has ties to all Baath parties in the region — including Iraq.

Arab News spoke to Tayseer Al-Himsei, the party’s secretary general, at the Amman basement office of the party.

“We are a branch of the Baath Party which was founded in 1947, and we were here long before it was ever established in Iraq,” he said.

The Baath Party grew from an underground movement and was officially established in Damascus in the 1940s.

Al-Himsei said the Jordanian Baath Party is tied to its counterpart in Iraq by the same ideology and vision.

“But there are no official exchanges with our Iraqi counterparts, and we do not have any influence on their decision-making process. The Jordanian Baath Party is only a political party and is not involved in any military operations,” he added.

The Jordanian party’s activities focus on Iraq and the occupation of Palestine.

“Regarding Iraq, we are holding a demonstration this Friday which the Jordanian government has allowed because of public pressure. As far as Palestine is concerned, we are calling on all Arabs to reject the two-state solution and help liberate Palestine completely,” Al-Himsei said. As far as international politics is concerned, the Baath Party concentrates on the Middle East.

“We have asked the major oil producing Arab countries to collectively cut off their oil supplies to the United States,” Al-Himsei said. “We have also asked Egypt to close the Suez canal.”

While on the Arab streets everywhere there is call for jihad and for volunteers to join the war in Iraq, the Jordanian Baath Party is not allowed to do so. “Here in Jordan, we are not permitted to, but the Baath Party in Lebanon is recruiting people for the resistance against the invaders,” he said.

Remarkably, the Jordanian Baath Party’s humanitarian efforts have been rejected by the Iraqis.

“We wanted to send medical aid to the people of Iraq, but the Iraqi ambassador rejected our offer and told us no such aid would be accepted,” Al-Himsei explained. “The ambassador said they are only willing to accept volunteers to join the fight and nothing else. So we’ve established offices in Lebanon to do precisely that.”

Arab News asked the big question: What will happen to the party if Saddam is removed?

“This party is bigger than any one individual,” Al-Himsei insisted. “If Saddam goes, there are a million more Saddams willing and able to take his place”.