Jordan determined to keep distance from Syria armed conflict — official

AMMAN — Through refusal to be part of any plan to host the training of Syrian rebels, Jordan sends a message that it only seeks a political solution to the Syrian crisis, an official said on Sunday.

The source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said it is in the best interest of Jordan to see the conflict in the northern neighbour end peacefully and so Amman would not contribute to any effort that would fuel the war such as training fighters.

He added that it has been Jordan’s unalterable stand since the crisis erupted that the Kingdom does not want to be part of any military action against Syria.

Quoting US officials, Reuters has reported that Jordan, “where the US Central Intelligence Agency has been covertly training Syrian rebels for more than a year”, is reluctant to host an expanded rebel instruction programme.

“Jordan’s reticence, confirmed by four US officials, is a potentially serious setback for President Barack Obama’s proposed $500 million initiative, announced in June, to train and arm moderate rebels fighting the government of Syrian President Bashar Assad and Al Qaeda-linked groups,” the news agency said.

Commenting on the report, Mohammad Momani, the government spokesperson, told The Jordan Times that “Jordan has not and will not train Syrian rebels here”.

In a statement he made two weeks ago, the US ambassador to Jordan Stewart Jones stressed that Jordan had not been proposed as the place for these trainings.

This was also stated by Reuters report, which said that while US officials have not made a formal request to the Jordanian government, the country was widely considered a top choice to host the training due to its close security relationship with Washington, proximity to neighbouring Syria and a pool of more than 600,000 Syrian refugees.

The agency quoted US officials and analysts as saying that Jordan fears violent retaliation from Syria if its territory is used for overt training conducted by US military units.

According to military and strategic expert Retd. Major General Mamoun Abu Nowar, the Kingdom’s policy towards the crisis in Syria is the same and has not changed.

Jordan supports a political solution and will not open a base for training Syrian rebels on its soil.

“There has been regional and international pressure on Jordan to do so, but did not succeed,” he told The Jordan Times over the phone.

However, the expert expected there would be no political solution in the neighbouring country any time soon.