The revolution and pacts (45). Ring of bilateral pacts (vii). Syro-Jordanian arrangements. As stated in an earlier article of this series, Britain and Iraq had hoped to persuade Jordan to join the Baghdad Pact. Such a venture, so it was hoped, would tip the scales in favour of Iraq whose accession to the Pact had caused almost full isolation ion the Arab world. It was further hoped that Jordan's accession would stimulate other Arab states to follow suit. The manoeuvres reached a climax in December 1955 when Britain and Iraq pressed King Hussein of Jordan not to succumb to the Egyptian and Saudi pressure but to stick to his former decision to join the pact. The riots which spread across Jordan hotted up by the Egyptian media and Saudi money, convinced King Hussein that should he adhere to the pact, he would seal his own fate. King Hussein's refusal to join the Pact thus proved to be a fateful turning point for the Baghdad Pact; for even though the struggle in the Arab world over the Baghdad Pact did not cease, it was clear that no Arab state would dare join it. The Jordanian episode led to further isolation of Iraq, leaving it to face the tripartite coalition (Egypt-Syria-Saudi Arabia), while Jordan and Lebanon were straddling the fence. Jordan, in what seemed to be a face-saving and pacifying move, entered into arrangements with Syria. Reporting this, The Egyptian Gazette of November 2, 1955 published a dispatch from Damascus headlined: Syria and Jordan agree to joint command against Israel Ring of Arab pacts being completed The Gazette dispatch said: Syria and Jordan have agreed in principle to the establishment of a joint command over the Syrian armed forces on the Israeli frontier, and the Jordan National Guard, political circles said here today. They said this was the meaning of a communiqué issued yesterday in Amman after a meeting between the Premiers of Jordan and Syria. The communiqué said it was agreed that the ‘the present armistice line with Israel forms one unified Arab defence line.' The Jordanian National Guard, which is financed by the Arab Legion and composed of Palestinian and Jordanian volunteers, would come under the Joint Command, but the Arab Legion (Jordan's regular army) would not, Syrian sources said. They added that the Arab Legion Command was ‘in foreign hands'; its commander is a Briton, General John Glubs Pasha. [email protected]
