Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman al-Safadi revealed that Jordan held talks with Washington before engaging in rapprochement with Syria. Safadi noted that 11 years of war had not led to any achievement.
“Jordan is talking to President al-Assad after not seeing any effective strategy to resolve the Syrian war,” Safadi said in an interview with CNN, noting that “coexistence with the status quo is not an option; a political solution is still required in Syria, in accordance with international law.”
“What have we done as a global community to resolve the crisis? 11 years in this crisis, and what was the result,” he said during his interview with CNN.
“Jordan has suffered as a result of the Syrian war, with drugs and terrorism making their way across the border. Moreover, Jordan is hosting 1.3 million Syrian refugees, who no longer receive support from the international community. We, as the host country, have to shoulder the burden — with less and less money,” he added.
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“Jordan has held talks with the United States on rapprochement efforts,” Safadi said. “As a neighboring country, our mission is to address our concerns. We have suffered more severely from this crisis than anyone else.”
In the same vein, Major General Ahmed Hosni Hatouqi, director of Jordanian General Intelligence, confirmed earlier that Jordan is treating the Syrian issue as a fait accompli. He described Amman’s relations with Damascus as “good” from the security side, stressing that there the two countries are coordinating to create a safe environment in both Lebanon and Syria.
The Jordanian announcement of talks with Washington on rapprochement with Syria coincides with the Biden administration maintaining that it does not agree with rapprochement with Damascus, a violation of the Caesar Act that is not linked to any agreement from the U.S.
The recent period has witnessed Arab countries reopening relations with Syria. The latest sign of this rapprochement was the visit of UAE Foreign Minister Mohammed bin Zayed to Damascus, and the announcement of Syria’s imminent return to the Arab League.
This article was translated and edited by The Syrian Observer. The Syrian Observer has not verified the content of this story. Responsibility for the information and views set out in this article lies entirely with the author.
