LONDON — Cleric Abu Qatada will return to Jordan voluntarily when the Jordanian parliament ratifies a deal with Britain that ensures he will receive a fair trial, the cleric's lawyer told a London court Friday. Abu Qatada's pledge is a victory for the British government after nearly eight years of unsuccessful attempts to deport the cleric, who is accused of spreading radical ideas that once inspired one of the Sept. 11, 2001 hijackers. Courts have repeatedly blocked deportation on the grounds that a trial in Jordan of Abu Qatada, whose real name is Mohammed Othman, risked being tainted by the use of evidence obtained using torture. Britain last month announced it had signed a new treaty with Jordan aimed at addressing those concerns. "If and when the Jordanian parliament ratifies that treaty, Mr Othman will voluntarily return to Jordan," Edward Fitzgerald, a lawyer representing him, told a special immigration tribunal. That would be a relief to Home Secretary Theresa May, the British interior minister, who has faced media pressure over repeated failures to deport Abu Qatada. "The Home Secretary's focus remains on seeing Abu Qatada returned to Jordan at the earliest opportunity," Security Minister James Brokenshire said in a statement issued by the Home Office shortly after the news from court emerged. "We continue to pursue this case before the courts and to work with the Jordanian government to achieve this." Yvette Cooper, the opposition Labor Party's spokeswoman for interior affairs, said: “This could be very good news if it means Abu Qatada returns to Jordan as soon as possible”. The deportation of Abu Qatada has become a cause celebre for some popular newspapers that have pilloried the government over the issue. The Sun tabloid has a special logo for stories on the cleric that reads “Must try harder to kick out Qatada”. — Reuters
