JORDAN STILL OPEN ITS BORDERS WITH SYRIA
Amman, 9 Ramadan 1434/17 July 2013 (MINA) – The Jordanian government on Wednesday (17/7) stressed its stance towards the ongoing conflict in Syria, calling for a political solution that would preserve the unity and stability of the neighboring country.
Government spokesperson and Minister of Media and Communications Mohammad al-Momani denied in statements to Ammon News on Wednesday that Jordan closed its borders with Syria.
The statement comes in response to unverified reports that Jordanian border guards clashed with armed Syrian groups on Tuesday.
The situation in Syria has a humanitarian dimension, and Jordan holds steadfast to its stance in allowing Syrian refugees into the Kingdom, the minister said as Ammonnews reported monitored by Mi’raj News Agency (MINA).
He stressed that international laws and conventions ratified by Jordan prevents it from closing the borders in the face of civilian refugees at a time of war and crises, the Minister said, adding that international agencies have expressed their recognition and that they value Jordan’s humanitarian role in hosting the over 550,000 Syrian refugees since the spark of violence in Syria over two years ago.
Jordan-Syria Relationship
Despite a long history of hostility, between 1975 and 1977 Jordan’s major regional ally was Syria. During 1975 Jordan and Syria agreed to coordinate their defense, foreign policy, economic, information, education, and cultural activities.
They established a joint military command to provide a single defensive line against Israel. Syria halted anti-Hussein propaganda and imposed restrictions on Syrian-based Palestinian activities that might be considered prejudicial to Jordan’s sovereignity.
In 1975 Lebanon became engulfed in a bloody civil war that had major ramifications for the regional political balance. Like the Black September incident of 1970, the Lebanese Civil War pitted a rapidly expanding Palestinian political infrastructure against a sovereign Arab state.
Jordan’s relationship with Syria also improved as Jordan became increasingly disenchanted with its relationship with the United States. Since the early 1970s, Jordan had negotiated for the purchase of a US$540 million air defense system from the United States to be financed by Saudi Arabia.
When the United States Congress objected to the arms sale, Hussein commented that relations with his one-time sponsor had reached “a sad crossroads.” In 1976, with Syrian encouragement, he traveled to Moscow to sound out the Soviet Union on its willingness to provide a similar system.
His trip to Moscow, however, marked a significant improvement in Jordanian-Soviet relations and was a factor in his decision to support the concept of a Middle East peace conference attended by both the Soviet Union and the United States.(T/P04/P03)
Mi’raj News Agency (MINA)
