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Jordan: Officials deny protesters attacked king | |
(40 minutes later) | |
Jordanian government officials have denied reports the motorcade of King Abdullah II has come under attack. | |
A spokesman said news that a group of young men in the southern city of Tafileh had pelted his motorcade with stones and bottles was "baseless". | |
The alleged attack comes a day after King Abdullah announced major reforms, promising to relinquish his right to appoint prime ministers and cabinets. | |
Protests have called for electoral reform, more jobs and food price cuts. | |
'Warm welcome' | |
Government spokesman Taher Adwan the told Associated Press news agencyt that there had been no attack with empty bottles and stones. | |
"What happened is that a group of young Jordanians thronged the monarch's motorcade to shake hands with him," he said. | |
He explained that when police "pushed them away, there was a lot of shoving". | |
A Royal Palace official who accompanied the king also said that rather than being attacked, the king had merely been enthusiastically greeted. | |
"It was a gesture of welcome, not an attack," he said. |