AMMAN, Jordan, June 5 (UPI) -- Jordan affirmed Monday that no secret negotiations were ongoing with Hamas, which it has accused of planning terrorist attacks in the desert kingdom.
Government spokesman Nasser Jawdeh said "no negotiations behind the scene exist at present between Hamas and Jordan, but only signs sent by Hamas through certain Arab parties."
Jordan announced last week that Arab parties have undertaken mediation between Jordan and Hamas which Amman accused of smuggling arms through Syria and stocking them up as a prelude to attacking Jordanian officials and vital installations.
"There are pending security issues that need to be resolved before undertaking any political contacts," Jawdeh said.
"The Palestinian government should send a security team to Amman to be briefed on the case and to give us more information which our security agencies believe should be uncovered, such as arms caches," he added.
Jordan said last month it arrested 20 Hamas members who received information from the Damascus-based leadership of the Palestinian militant group to smuggle the arms, including Iranian-made weapons, to Jordan via Syria. Hamas rejected the Jordanian accusations.
In another development, Jawdeh said Monday Jordan will close the branches of its banks in the Palestinian territories in case they were threatened or exposed to danger.
"The Central Bank might be obliged to close certain branches of Jordanian banks if not all of them in the territories under the control of the Palestinian Authority in the event of any threat or attack," Jawdeh said.
He noted that the Central Bank is following up closely the developments in the territories and has taken all measures to safeguard documents and registers in safe places.
The Arab Bank, a major Jordanian bank based in Amman, closed its branches in Gaza Monday after being threatened by Palestinian Authority employees who get their paychecks through the bank.
