U.S. troops will hold military maneuvers in Jordan to help develop the Jordanian army's defense capabilities, a Cabinet official said in Amman Monday. The two-week mock war games are scheduled to begin next week in southern Jordan, Information Minister Mohammad Affash Adwan told The Associated Press without elaborating. Such military exercises are usually conducted in a desert military base in Qatraneh, 100 kilometers (62 miles) south of the Jordanian capital Amman.

Adwan said the maneuvers "are part of routine, annual exercises conducted with friendly and brotherly countries."

It was not immediately clear how many U.S. or Jordanian troops would be involved.

"After the two-week period, the American forces will leave Jordan," Adwan said, underlining official efforts to prevent the war games from being linked to preparations for a possible U.S. military action against neighboring Iraq.

America is weighing plans to wage war on Iraq, which Washington says possesses weapons of mass destruction.

U.S. Embassy officials were not available for comment. Western diplomats, speaking on condition of anonymity, have previously said the military exercises had been scheduled since last year.

Jordan, like other Arab countries, opposes America waging on Iraq, saying it would destabilize a region already in upheaval because of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Amman has said it will not allow U.S. troops to use Jordanian soil and airspace as a launching pad to attack Iraq. Last month, Jordan opened its largest military air base to reporters to negate Western newspaper reports that the camp was being refurbished to accommodate U.S. troops preparing to attack Baghdad.

While a close American ally in the Middle East, Jordan has vital trade relations with Iraq.

Washington vowed in 1997 to supply Jordan's 120,000-strong army with modern equipment and develop its combat capabilities to reward Jordan for its 1994 peace treaty with Israel. Joint exercises have been held regularly since.

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U.S. troops are to hold military maneuvers in Jordan to help develop the Jordanian army's defense capabilities. It was not immediately clear how many U.S. or Jordanian troops would be involved.