Jordan publishes 'Abu Qatada treaty'
The treaty between the UK and Jordan
which paves the way for radical cleric
Abu Qatada to be deported has been
officially published in Jordan.
The Jordanian government's Official
Gazette printed it - a necessary step
before it can be fully ratified.
Security Minister James Brokenshire said
he welcomed the publication.
"Whilst further steps remain, our focus is
on seeing Abu Qatada on a plane to
Jordan at the earliest opportunity," he
said.
An exchange of diplomatic letters is also
necessary between the two countries.
Once the ratification process is
complete, the UK government will need
to restart deportation proceedings.
Abu Qatada has indicated he will not
challenge deportation once the treaty
has been fully ratified.
Britain has been trying to deport Abu
Qatada since 2005, and he has been
detained and released several times
during the legal battle.
He arrived in Britain and claimed asylum
in 1993, but became notorious for
preaching radical views such as support
for the killing of Jews and people who
leave Islam.
In 1999, the cleric was convicted of
terrorism charges in his absence in
Jordan and sentenced to life in prison.
He now faces a retrial on those charges,
but his lawyers have said some of the
evidence may have come from people
who were tortured to make them
implicate him.
Abu Qatada is currently in London's
Belmarsh Prison after breaching a bail
condition in March which restricted the
use of mobile phones and other
communication devices.