AMMAN — Jordan’s former Minister of Culture and Youth,
Mohammad Abu Rumman, has said that it is international politics that gets in the way of the Jordan’s openness towards Syria.
اضافة اعلان
In remarks he made to the Russian News Agency Sputnik, Abu Rumman said that the specific goals of American regional policy are what hampers Jordan’s openness towards
Syria, stressing the Kingdom’s full belief in the need for such openness.
“In my opinion there is a conviction from the decision makers in Amman that there is a need to open up to Syria and that at the core of this conviction is that political and diplomatic relations must be improved and the post-Syrian war phase of 2011 must be brought to an end,” Abu Rumman said.
He said that the focus on the economic side of bilateral ties had come as an entry point to expand on other aspects.
“Because it is the economic side that can be discussed with the Americans and because Jordan has economic requirements, a historical precedent has been used which is the oil-for-food (with Iraq), where Jordan was given an exception,” he said.
He said Jordan had obtained an exemption from
UN sanctions against Iraq in the 1990s. “Indeed, the Americans have shown flexibility in this matter,” Abu Rumman said.
He added that “the issue became complicated with Syria when the Americans felt that Jordan had taken a wider area than what was talked about and that Amman was about to open up to Syria politically, diplomatically and economically.”
In late June, Amman witnessed a ministerial meeting that included energy ministers from Syria,
Lebanon, and Jordan.
At the end of September, an expanded
Jordanian-Syrian ministerial meeting was launched in Amman to discuss ways to strengthen bilateral cooperation between the two countries.
Read more National news
.jpg)
.jpg)
