Petroleum Minister, Diezani Alison-Madueke, has denied reports that she is seeking asylum in foreign countries because she fears that president-elect,Muhammadu Buhari will send her to prison once he assumes office.

Here’s the background of the story: Yesterday, Sahara Reporters alleged that six countries refused to grant an asylum request made by Alison-Madueke. They reportedly got their information from the Business Council for Africa’s (BCA) monthly report.

Read excerpts from the report by SR:

BCA noted that that US $ 1 trillion is the latest estimated figure of the looting of the Nigerian treasury between 1960 and 2005 alone…

The report, dated March 2015, focused extensively on Nigeria’s general elections.  It said the notorious Minister, whose impunity is known to have been closely-protected by President Goodluck Jonathan, will be coming under the microscope for the first time in her Ministerial career.

“Given her reputation, it comes as no surprise to learn that 6 countries have already refused to grant her asylum to live in their countries as she now wishes to leave Nigeria at the earliest possible opportunity,” it said.

BCA recalled President-elect Muhammadu Buhari lamenting that the rest of the world looks at Nigeria as the home of corruption, one where stealing is not corruption but a way of life, and that his administration will pursue all public offices and individuals who are believed to be guilty of corruption.

It observed that despite an earlier promise, it is now understood that Buhari’s anti-corruption fishing net will include Ministers currently serving under President Goodluck Jonathan. Alison-Madueke’s departure from Nigeria is likely to be followed by several other PDP elders, party members and supporters as well as some former Government officials, as Buhari’s anti-corruption drive will be far-reaching…

Speaking through the Group Public Affairs General Manager of Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Ohi Alegbe, Alison-Madueke denied the allegations, Vanguard reports.

“I want to say that the Minister of Petroleum has never contemplated going on asylum in any part of the world and has never applied for any. The minister has only gone for a short vacation abroad and will soon return to Nigeria, having no reason to leave her job and country for any other place,” he said.

Opeyemmie Oshoko

Former Nigerian head of state, Sani Abacha‘s daughter Sagesse Gumsu Sani Abacha, has indicated interest in joining APC.

She expressed this on her Facebook account, and afterwards, many of her Facebook friends encouraged her to join the party.

Opeyemmie Oshoko

The governor of Rivers State, Rotimi Amaechi, has said that he wont accept the electoral victory of the PDP candidate in Rivers state, Nyesom Wike, stressing that the election was a daylight robbery.

Amaechi was reacting to the call by the Minister of State II for Foreign Affairs, Musiliu Obanikoro, that he and the APC in Rivers should concede defeat and congratulate the winner in the interest of the state.

In his reaction to Obanikoro's challenge, Amaechi said:

“Because of the larger interest of Rivers state, I and most Rivers people will not accept that daylight robbery they called elections. The election was a sham, a disgrace, an affront on democracy. Please read the reports of EU and other INEC accredited election observers before you open your mouth to spew rubbish. If your values are so debased and rotten that you saw nothing wrong with the elections in Rivers State, mine is not. Never will.”

Opeyemmie Oshoko

Are you a fashioner designer who has been looking for that one opportunity to showcase and sell your designs? Do you need ready to wear materials of international qualities at affordable prices? Then the place to be is at the Lagos Fashion Exhibition 2015 which commences from today Tuesday 10th toThursday 12th February 2015 at the Eko Convention Centre Victoria Island, Lagos.

  

The exhibition which is organized by MERIDYEN INTERNATIONAL FAIR ORGANIZATION has been made FREE. You do not need to pay to be part of the exhibition. What an opportunity you have been waiting for?

The event will also be having razzmatazz of runway models to showcase some of the wears at the venue, and as well presents opportunities to fashion practitioners to meet directly with professional managers and decision makers to discuss partnership possibilities for their business growth.

The event which is still open to more exhibitors within and around the country to come and showcase what they have got and sell their products to the larger world, has been endorsed by Ministry of Economy, Republic of Turkey and Nigeria Association of Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (NICCMA).

The CEO of NHN Couture will also be there to teach fashion designers on how to make business sense in profession of fashion designing. International fashion experts are also in the country to giver expert analysis on fashion designing.

Opeyemmie Oshoko

The management of Ecobank Transnational Incorporated (ETI), on Wednesday said it would appeal the ruling of a Togolese labour court which awarded Thierry Tanoh, its sacked former chief executive, $11.6 million damages for supposed ‘wrongful dismissal.’

A statement by Richard Uku, Group Head, Corporate Communications, of Ecobank Group described the decision as “disappointing, but not surprising.”

The group, with headquarters in Lome, the Togolese capital, with shares quoted in Nigeria, Ghana and Cote d’Ivoire, said it “does not accept the legitimacy of the Togolese court’s ruling because the court does not have legal jurisdiction over Mr. Tanoh’s employment contract.”

The statement reiterated its earlier claim that the Tanoh’s contract, which he signed before assumption of his post as Ecobank Group CEO in July 2012, specifies that it is governed by English law, a fact he knows of.

Uku noted that “the contract expressly provides that all disputes shall be settled by international arbitration in London by an arbitrator appointed by the President of the International Chamber of Commerce in Paris.

“The contract grants exclusive jurisdiction to the English courts in relevant matters. Tanoh, an Ivorian national with permanent residence in the United States during his tenure as ETI Group CEO, rejected these express provisions of his contract, preferring instead to pursue litigation in a Togolese court for reasons best known to him.

“This is the second time in as many months that Mr. Tanoh has sought to extract substantial sums of money from Ecobank on claims which he knows would not stand up in most courts of law.”

The group noted that just last month, an Ivorian commercial court, ruling in a civil suit filed by Tanoh against ETI, Public Investment Corporation (PIC) and Dr. Daniel Matjila for ‘defamation,’ ordered it to pay the sacked CEO $15 million. This decision, it noted, is equally being challenged already.

The Ivoirean court presided over by Francois Koumoin, according to Reuters, ruled that a letter written by Ecobank board member, Daniel Matjila, last year and published in the media tarnished Tanoh’s image.

Matjila is chief executive of South Africa’s Public Investment Corporation, which was the largest shareholder in Ecobank until Qatar National Bank bought a stake of more than 23 per cent in September.

“It’s not a fair judgement and we don’t think that the commercial court is the competent court in which this matter should have been held,” Uku said in January, while reacting to that ruling.

“Jurisdiction technicalities aside, and on substantive matters alone, Ecobank stands firm on the decision to relieve Mr. Tanoh of his responsibilities and rejects the excessive sums of money that he is demanding in local courts in Togo and Cote d’Ivoire.

“His removal from office was fully justifiable. Many of ETI’s founders, shareholders, directors and a number of Ecobank’s regulatory authorities were resolute in their calls for Mr. Tanoh to step down. This was after due consideration of an overwhelming amount of compelling material, which showed that his dismissal was clearly warranted.

“ETI has lodged a criminal complaint against Mr. Tanoh for taking away all official files that he handled as Group CEO of Ecobank, and for deleting all electronic files from the official computers that he used.

“These unbelievable decisions by the local courts in Cote d’Ivoire and Togo amount to self-inflicting damage, for they send unambiguously negative signals to the business community. They are a deterrent to local and potential foreign direct investment in both countries. They raise serious questions for any business entity about how independent or objective a ruling they could obtain in potential litigation. The ETI Board will hold a special meeting next week to consider its options in the wake of these decisions.

“ETI is confident that it will win its appeal of this judgment, and it continues to keep its focus on its most fundamental priorities, which include the business of banking, doing well by its staff, its customers and its shareholders. Ecobank continues to enjoy strong performance and high shareholder confidence. Ultimately, it is a unique pan-African 2 institution that remains committed to contributing to economic development and financial integration in Africa.”

Tanoh lost his job in March last year, after months of board squabbles that raised questions about the regulation of Ecobank, one of Africa’s biggest financial institutions.

Tanoh, an Ivorian, who now works for Ivory Coast President Alassane Ouattara as Deputy Secretary General in the presidency, was replaced by his deputy Albert Essien.

He was removed as chief executive of the Lome, Togo-based bank in March after Nigeria’s Securities & Exchange Commission (SEC) probed allegations of management fraud and poor corporate governance at the pan-African banking group.

Opeyemmie Oshoko

At least 26 people died and 15 survived a spectacular crash caught on video of a TransAsia Airways flight that clipped its wing on a bridge after takeoff from the Taiwanese capital Taipei and crashed into a nearby river,USA Today reports.

Seventeen people remained missing and were feared dead.

Taiwanese rescuers used a massive crane to hoist the French-built ATR 72-600 propjet from the shallow river after survivors were brought to safety on rubber rafts or scrambled to the river bank on their own. One injured person was reportedly found in a park along the river, Taiwan News reported.

Dramatic dashcam footage from vehicles on an elevated highway shows the plane banked sharply left after taking off, just missing apartment buildings. Its left wing clipped the side of the highway, and a taxi on the bridge was rocked by the plane before it crashed into the river.

Rescuers rushed to the scene, where a large portion of the wrecked fuselage jutted out of the shallow Keelung River. Emergency personnel in rubber dinghies crowded around what remained of the plane before it was lifted from the water.

Wu Jun-Hong, a Taipei Fire Department official coordinating the rescue, said those unaccounted for are either still in the wreckage or were pulled downriver. “At the moment, things don’t look too optimistic,” Wu said. “Those in the front of the plane are likely to have lost their lives.”

More than half of the 53 passengers and five crewmembers aboard Flight 235 en route to the outlying Taiwan-controlled Kinmen islands were from China. Relatives and friends on Kinmen, which is close to China, gathered at the airport to await news.

A plane from Taiwan with 58 people aboard clipped a bridge shortly after takeoff and careened into a river Wednesday. Early reports say at least 8 people are known dead and at least two dozen were rescued.

A Taiwanese family of three survived after the father rescued his wife and son from the river water that flooded the plane, said Hong Kong’s Apple Daily. Lin Mingwei, 38, performed mouth-to-mouth resuscitation on Lin Riyao, 2, and massaged his chest.

“I absolutely can’t lose him again,” Lin said of the boy who spent over 100 days in hospital after a premature birth. The child was in intensive care Wednesday after swallowing a lot of river water. His mother Jiang Yuyin suffered several bone fractures.

Kinmen County Magistrate Chen Fuhai had a lucky escape when his meetings Wednesday in Taipei forced a delay to a later flight, the Apple Daily reported. Chen visited the Taiwanese capital to discuss the next round of top-level cross-strait talks between Taiwan and China, which will take place Saturday in Kinmen.

There were also tragedies. Victims included Wang Qinghuo, a mainland Chinese tour guide in his mid-20s, who was returning to his home city of Xiamen to get married on Sunday, the Xiamen Daily newspaper reported.

Video from a driver’s dash camera captures the moment a turboprop plane with 58 people on board crashes into a Taipei river. Rough cut. (No reporter narration) Video provided by Reuters Newslook

Wednesday’s flight took off from Taipei’s downtown Sungshan Airport. Taiwan’s Civil Aeronautics Administration described the ATR72-600 model as its best plane and said the pilot had 4,900 hours of flying experience.

TransAsia director Peter Chen said contact with the plane was lost four minutes after takeoff. He said weather conditions were not a factor and the cause of the accident had not been determined.

Opeyemmie Oshoko

Strong indications emerged last night that the country’s journey towards a virile, democratic dispensation may be heading for the rocks as President Goodluck Jonathan is set announce the postponement of the much-awaited 2015 general elections during a historic meeting of the National Council of State in Abuja today. The elections were billed to take place on February 14 and 28.

This is coming 22 years after the June 12, 1993, political crisis which plunged the country into decades of political and economic retardation following the annulment of the general election won by the late philanthropist, MKO Abiola.

The president’s move is contrary to public opinion and the desires of the majority of Nigerians who have been gearing up to exercise theirfundamental right to freely choose their leaders.

A source confided in LEADERSHIP last night that the service chiefs would be called upon to declare that they could not guarantee public safety during the polls.

It was further gathered that some former heads of state who have long-standing personal grudges against the APC presidential candidate, General Mohammadu Buhari, would either vote for the postponement of the poll or be indifferent. Former heads of state are statutorily members of the National Council of State.

LEADERSHIP gathered last night that plans were afoot to strip INEC top officials of their security cover and also to withdraw security cover for the elections.

INEC, which, according to the constitution, is the only body given the powers to announce changes on election dates, has insisted that it is prepared to go ahead with the poll.

Prominent human rights lawyer and senior advocate of Nigeria, Mr Femi Falana, said yesterday that it was illegal for any other authority apart from INEC to announce any changes in polling dates.

Our correspondent gathered that APC governors, who had hitherto shunned previous Council of State meetings, had arrived in Abuja in preparation for a showdown with the proponents of polls shift.

In response to the likelihood of the government withdrawing security cover for the polls, one APC governor said yesterday that, “that might even be a welcome development, considering how maliciously soldiers have been used in past elections in this country.”

LEADERSHIP’s correspondent in Washington also learnt that the White House in the US is meeting over Nigeria’s situation today while the International Criminal Court (ICC) and international election observers are on ground to monitor the situation.

The situation has also taken a new dimension as pressure is being mounted on the INEC chairman, Prof Attahiru Jega, from the government and even within INEC, to resign.

His tenure will expire in June, this year.

In June 1993, after former military president Ibrahim Babangida cancelled the result of the election on the grounds of purported irregularities and a court ruling, the country was thrown into widespread chaos, set off by public feeling that it was the freest and fairest election so far.

Observers expressed the fear last night that the country could be headed towards another major crisis, with the opposition saying the only reason why the PDP wants to postpone the poll is because its rigging machine had been exposed and it was afraid of losing.

A day to the historic June 12, 1993 presidential election, a faceless group, the Association for Better Nigeria (ABN), secured an injunction restraining the National Electoral Commission (NEC) from going ahead with the poll.

But NEC boss Prof Humphrey Nwosu ignored the court injunction and proceeded with the conduct of the poll.

The late MKO Abiola was coasting home to victory in most parts of the country when the military government of General Ibrahim Babangida directed the electoral umpire to suspend the announcement of the results.

Jonathan set to announce postponement of polls

There are strong indications that President Goodluck Jonathan may today announce the postponement of the forthcoming general elections barely two weeks to its conduct.

The Council of State, at its sitting today at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, it was gathered, has concluded plans to ratify the postponement being clamoured for in certain quarters.

An impeccable source close the body revealed late last night that members of the body had been communicating at individual levels on the possible polls shift, stressing that today’s meeting would only be a formality to ratify the postponement.

He said: ‘‘The reasons are not what I can disclose to you fully, but you should know the Council of State has the interest of the nation at heart. I think their major concerned is the issue of security. We know what is happening in the North East; we know how many people have been displaced.

“You also have the issue with the preparation of the INEC. So many eligible voters have not collected their voter cards, and you know the implication’’.

When asked when the elections would now be held, he stated that ‘it may be around June; that will be discussed tomorrow. The tension is being heightened. You see the gladiators and their supporters making all sorts of threats. This country is bigger than any individual or group. This house must not fall.’’

Meanwhile, the All Progressives Congress (APC), at a press conference earlier yesterday, said it was aware of plans by the presidency to drag members of the Council of State into an alleged plot to postpone the general elections.

The party added that the Council of State members would be cajoled to buy into the elections postponement idea during the scheduled meeting of the Council today at the Villa.

The revelation was made by the APC national chairman, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, during a world press conference. The party therefore advised Council members not to be party to attempts to derail the democratic process of the country.

“Members of the Council of State are Nigerians who are held in very high esteem, and their involvement in a project that damages the democratic process will be a serious disservice to our leaders as national assets.

“Our party is encouraged by the fact that INEC has restated in clear and unambiguous terms its determination and ability to conduct the elections as planned. It is the constitutional prerogative of INEC to set election dates which, nonetheless, should meet at least the minimum threshold of

confidence.

“We recognize that it had challenges but these are challenges that have been or are being seriously tackled by the Commission, and the engineered clamour for postponement is not helping the situation,” Oyegun said.

He added that attempts to rubbish INEC’s preparations in order to achieve a postponement are, according to him, being seen for what they are: “a desperate ploy by the PDP administration to avoid certain electoral defeat.

“These are part of the PDP script to deny Nigerians their right to choose their leaders on the 14th and 28th of February.”

APC said it had faith in the members of the Council of State, and advised them not to become tools in the hand of an administration that wants to subvert our fragile democratic process.”

Allegation baseless – PDP

PDP national publicity secretary, Olisa Metuh, however said, the allegation made by the APC was baseless.

While speaking with reporters on the telephone, he said, “We will not glorify APC by joining issues with them on this matter. For now, our focus is on issues-based campaign towards the re-election of President Goodluck Jonathan, so that he can continue to deliver the good for Nigerians.”

Presidency keeps mum

All efforts to get the presidency to react to the alleged plot to shift the general polls to June in today’s council of state meeting were futile.

Calls and text messages sent to the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Dr. Reuben Abati, were not returned.

In the same vein, the mobile phone number of Senior Special Assistant to the president on Public Affairs, Dr. Doyin Okupe, did not go through.

INEC refutes reports over postponement of elections

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has denied reports that it plans to postpone the forthcoming general elections if the distribution of Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) remains low by Sunday, the deadline for the exercise.

The electoral body was reacting to a report by a foreign medium, Reuters, which quoted a national commissioner as saying that the elections may be delayed if the number of PVCs collected by voters is too low.

However, a rebuttal by the INEC chairman’s spokesman, Kayode Idowu, reads:”I write to refute your story in Reuters attributing national commissioner of INEC, Amina Zakari, as saying that the 2015 general elections may be delayed if the number of PVCs collected by voters is too low’’.

Falana: Council of State lacks power on Polls Shift

Lagos lawyer, Chief Femi Falana (SAN) has said the Council of State lacks competence and constitutional power to decide whether or not INEC should conduct election.

In a statement he issued last night to pre-empt the outcome of the council’s meeting billed to hold today following speculations that the primary agenda of the meeting is to discuss postponement of the forthcoming general polls, Falana insisted that only INEC had the exclusive right to fix date for election.

He said, “With respect to INEC, the Council may advise the president in the exercise of his powers to appoint the chairman of the INEC, the national commissioners and the resident electoral commissioners.

“Since the power of organizing and conducting the general election, including the fixing of dates for the election, is the exclusive responsibility of INEC; the Council of State is not competent to advise the president or direct the INEC to postpone the general elections.”

Defining the role of the council, Falana noted that the council was one of the federal executive bodies established by Section 153(1) of the Constitution and vested with the power to advise the president in the exercise of his powers with respect to the national population census and compilation; publications and keeping of records and other information concerning the same.

He listed other areas the council advises the president to include prerogative of mercy, award of honours, INEC, the National Judicial Council, the National Population Commission and to advise the president “whenever requested to do so on the maintenance of public order within the federal or any part thereof and on such other matters as the president may direct”.

Opeyemmie Oshoko

What can the coalition do to stop ISIS? 02:10

Story highlights

• "I think there's likely to be a backlash" against ISIS, analyst says
• Jordan's government has vowed an "earthshaking retaliation" for the pilot's killing
• But experts say Jordan is unlikely to take independent military action against ISIS

(CNN)An ISIS video showing the horrific killing of aJordanian air force pilot has stoked anger in the Arab kingdom and left analysts wondering what impact it will have on the U.S.-led coalition fighting the militant group.

Jordan already carried out one act of retaliation, executing two terrorist prisoners with ties to al Qaeda in Iraq. One of them was Sajida al-Rishawi, the would-be suicide bomber whose release ISIS had demanded.

Protesters gathered in the streets of the Jordanian capital, Amman, and in the home town of the pilot, Moath al-Kasasbeh.

But what will ISIS and Jordan do next?

ISIS

It doesn't care about outrage

"I think there's likely to be a backlash, particularly in Jordan," said Paul Cruickshank, a CNN terrorism analyst. "I think it's sort of going to rally support for King Abdullah and his participation in the anti-ISIS coalition."

But it's unclear whether ISIS leaders are bothered by the condemnation and outrage.

"ISIS doesn't really care very much about the reactions it gets from Arab or foreign governments," said Rami Khouri, a Middle East analyst based in Beirut. "They're on a mission to carry out their barbaric deed."

Anger against ISIS was in evidence among protesters in Jordan.

One demonstrator held a poster that read: "They burned our hearts, so let's burn their dens, and their prisoners in our prisons."

It gave up a key bargaining chip

Some experts expressed puzzlement at ISIS' decision to kill the pilot without getting anything in return.

"This pilot was a real bargaining chip," said retired Lt. Col. Rick Francona, a U.S. Air Force veteran intelligence officer. "The Jordanians were willing to do things to get him back. He comes from a very established family, one that supports the Jordanian monarchy. I'm not sure they realized exactly who they had."

Adding to the intrigue, Jordanian authorities said they believed the pilot had been killed as early as January 3, before ISIS made any demands for the release of al-Rishawi by Jordan.

If that's the case, the recent ISIS threats against the life of al-Kasasbeh appear to aimed at publicity rather than serious negotiations.

It'll go on doing what it does

ISIS is known to still be holding at least two Western hostages: John Cantlie, a British journalist who has appeared in a number of ISIS-produced videos, and an American woman who is a 26-year-old aid worker.

Analysts said they thought it was unlikely that Jordan's hanging of the two jihadist prisoners Wednesday would affect ISIS' next moves.

"I don't see that the execution of these two individuals is really going to change their calculus much," said Francona. "They're going to do whatever they want to do."

"I don't think they had much invested in either the woman or the man who were just hanged," he said. "They were nice bargaining chips that they could try and do something with."

It's playing to its base

The video of the killing of the Jordanian pilot, showing a new level of brutality even by ISIS' grim standards, raises the question of whom they are trying to reach.

"There are some people out there attracted to these horrific videos," said CNN political commentator Peter Beinart. "But a much, much larger group of people in the Muslim and Arab world are absolutely repulsed."

Maajid Nawaz, a former extremist, said he believes that ISIS isn't trying to reach the majority but is going after existing terrorists as it competes with al Qaeda for foreign recruits.

"This is a race to the bottom when it comes to the gruesome depictions that they're showing," said Nawaz, the author of "Radical: My Journey out of Islamist Extremism."

It's sending a message

Juan Zarate, a former U.S. deputy national security adviser, said he thinks that with the pilot video, ISIS is trying to send a message to the Arab members of the coalition against it.

"They're going to be treated brutally, and in fact, maybe perhaps more brutally than other members of the coalition," he told CNN.

At the end of the video, ISIS shows names and addresses of people whom it claims are Jordanian pilots. A reward is offered, and a voice says they are "wanted dead."

The timing of ISIS' recent string of videos -- showing the deaths of two Japanese hostages and now al-Kasasbeh -- may also be significant, according to Sajjan Gohel of the Asia Pacific Foundation.

He suggested it could be an effort to distract attention from the militant group's "humiliating defeat" by the Kurds in the Syrian city of Kobani.

JORDAN

Its citizens are rallying

The news of the killing of the pilot sparked protests in the streets of Amman, the capital, and in the pilot's hometown. The focus of the people's ire was ISIS.

Analysts said they expected most of the population to stand behind the government.

"The Jordanian people, I think, very clearly will unite behind the government," said Khouri, a senior fellow at the American University of Beirut. "The trick is for the government to figure out what is the most appropriate response now."

The government's early retaliation was to carry out the hangings of the two jihadist prisoners.

But the pilot's father suggested that was far from enough.

"Those criminals cannot be compared to Moath," al-Kasasbeh's father, Safi, said Wednesday. "Moath's blood is much more valued than these two prisoners."

He called on the Jordanian government to execute all prisoners with links to ISIS. "Annihilate this organization," he said.

It's promising further military action

A Jordanian government spokesman on Tuesday promised an "earthshaking retaliation" for the killing of the pilot. But it still remains very unclear what form that might take.

Some military experts speculated that Jordan could launch independent airstrikes against ISIS or move artillery and other weapons to the border near ISIS-controlled territory.

But other analysts said they thought that unilateral action was unlikely.

"They know that it would be foolhardy to launch an attack without being part of the coalition." Francona said.

He said he expected more commitment to the coalition from Jordan, including perhaps greater access to its airbases and an increased number of Jordanian sorties.

"When Jordan commits, Jordan can be a real force. But Jordan can't do this alone," he said.

CNN military analyst Mark Hertling said he expected Jordan to increase intelligence sharing with the coalition and possibly put some additional defenses along the borders with Syria and Iraq.

"This is a calm, measured leader who wants to do things the right way," he said of King Abdullah.

It may be dealing with shifting sentiments

A key question is how the Jordanian population's views on the U.S.-led airstrikes against ISIS will develop over time.

For the time being, the anger and desire for revenge appear to be directed against ISIS. But before the pilot's killing was announced, some Jordanians had been questioning the government's decision to take part in the anti-ISIS coalition.

"We're going to have to see what happens after this period of mourning and anger is over," said CNN's Jomana Karadsheh in Amman. "What sort of calls are we going to be hearing from the Jordanian street?"

The issue is complex in a country like Jordan, according to Khouri.

"You get situations where many Muslims -- they don't support ISIS -- but they don't like foreign armies coming to attack Arab Sunni Muslims," he told CNN.

"No doubt that the majority, especially in Jordan, are afraid of ISIS and want to fight it and want to defeat it," Khouri said. "But there are tensions because many, many people instinctively in the Arab world are hesitant to join an American-led military assault against Arab parties."

Culled from CNN NEWS:

CNN's Dana Ford contributed to this report.

Opeyemmie Oshoko

(CNN)Al Jazeera journalist Peter Greste, back home in Australia after spending more than a year in an Egyptian prison, said Thursday that he was never abused by his captors and looks upon the imprisonment as "probably a more positive experience that it has been a damaging one."

"I'd like to think I've changed, perhaps for the better," he told CNN's Christiane Amanpour. "I've learned a lot about myself, I've grown a lot, I've learned a lot about my family, my incredible family."

Greste, whom Egypt released and deported over the weekend, landed in Brisbane early Thursday morning.

Greste and fellow Al Jazeera journalists Mohamed Fadel Fahmy and Baher Mohamed were arrested in Egypt in December 2013, accused of supporting the banned Muslim Brotherhood. All three were convicted and imprisoned but have maintained their innocence. Greste, who spent about 400 days in prison, had been sentenced to seven years.

Fahmy and Mohamed remain in prison. Greste said at a press conference that he'll work to free them.

"I will do all we can to talk to the right people to facilitate their release," Greste said, declining to go into detail.

Greste thanked the people who worked for his release -- his family, leaders of the Australian and Latvian governments, people who took part in demonstrations and journalists. He was surprised at the number of people involved.

"What we've seen out of this is a sense of purpose and a sense of unity that has blown me away," he said.

Greste said prison was not easy but that he and the others were not mistreated. He was able to work on a master's degree in governmental relations and wrote his papers in pencil and paper.

"We had access to all the things we needed," he said. "The fact is I'm in pretty good health. We weren't abused in any way. We were treated with respect and dignity as much as could be expected under the circumstances"

He fought off negative feelings by meditating. When his thoughts wandered, he imagined going to the beach, something he's already done since returning to Australia.

"To actually stand there and feel (the sand) between your toes was awesome," he said.

Greste said he and his colleagues talked about the possibility that one of them would be released before the others.

"They were all very happy for me," he said. "You can imagine after 400 days of imprisonment with these guys we were very close."

When they are released, Greste said, "I will party with them very hardy indeed."

Arriving at the airport Thursday, Greste, wearing a checkered shirt and jeans, was cheered by a crowd of dozens who had awaited his arrival. He smiled, hugged several people in the crowd and flashed peace signs with two raised hands.

Greste said he's not sure what will happen in his immediate future but expects to return to journalism.

"I don't want to give this up," he said. "I'm a correspondent. It's what I do."

When his mother, Lois Greste, was asked how she felt about that, she said, "We've always believed our children should follow their passions and Peter's doing that. At the same time, he's got to know we aren't going to go through this again."

Opeyemmie Oshoko