AMMAN: The spokesman for the Jordanian Ministry for Communications Affairs and Government Samih Ma’ytah said Jordan would not be able to continue extending help to Syrian refugees if their influx continues at the current pace and the international community pays no attention to the seriousness of the situation.
He told Arab News reporter Sami Al-Zubaidi in Amman that the number of Syrian refugees is steadily increasing and puts an additional burden on his country’s limited resources. He said such a burden was not limited to the direct services provided to the refugees but also falls heavily on water and electricity sectors in his country.
He said the buffer zones that have been proposed within Syria are a political and military concept and not a decision made by a country that hosts refugees. He said the establishment of buffer zones has international, military and political dimensions. Jordan is only concerned with how the international community can undertake its duty toward Jordan and Syrian refugees.
The interview:
Is there a limit to the number of refugees Jordan can sustain in the light of the recent announcement by Turkey that it is longer capable of receiving more refugees and has called for “safe havens” for the refugees within Syrian territories?
“Since the eruption of the Syrian crisis, considerable waves of displaced Syrians have crossed into Jordan. The largest of those happened before the establishment of camps. At the time, 150,000 Syrian refugees were living in the Jordanian cities, taking advantage of the cooperation between the two countries which, among others, gives Syrian citizens the right to enter Jordan without visa.
“Today there are more than 24,000 refugees in Al-Zatari camp and two other camps at Ramtha. The number of refugees is steadily increasing on a daily basis and puts an additional burden on Jordan’s limited resources. The water sector is already witnessing a substantial shortage. The power and electricity sector received more than 2 billion dinars in the form of support from the state budget. Additionally, there is security burden for their protection and health burden for the refugees and their children.
“Despite all these burdens, Jordan continues to observe its humanitarian and Arab duties towards its Syrian brothers. However, we call on our sister countries, friends and the international community to work out clear plans to alleviate this burden.”
Has the creation of a buffer zone become a necessity on the southern parts of the Syrian territories?
“Before we talk about buffer zones in their political and military contexts, we call on other countries to take on their humanitarian responsibilities toward the large number of Syrian refugees in our country.
We have to look at these things realistically: solutions are urgently needed and we, in Jordan, do not have the time to search for other alternatives as the crisis and burdens are pressing on us round-the-clock.
What we are seeing is alarming from a humanitarian point of view: some people need urgent medical treatment or surgical operations; others have lost their sons, daughters, children, or properties. This is a war and we are not in a position to think beyond this point. Moreover, we don’t have time for the creation of buffer zones as we are primarily concerned with the human aspect of the crisis.”
Does your country plan to close borders in the face of refugees as Turkey did?
It is not wise to close roads or borders in the face of Syrians fleeing death. This contradicts with our ethics, but we should recognize that the influx of refugees is intensive and continuous and we cannot bear it alone. Each day 500 persons enter our country and that number is set to double. This provides a humanitarian problem; refugees need security, safety, stability, food, drink, and medical care. That is cumbersome for us as a government. However, we hope to not reach a stage where we feel incapable of performing this duty because our economic conditions are not strong enough to provide emergency humanitarian services. The issue is highly sensitive and we hope the international community will extend the required support so that we can pursue our humanitarian duty. We would like to express our thanks to the government of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques for its humanitarian contributions and assistance.
“There is official and popular solidarity in Jordan to support our humanitarian duty toward Syrian refugees and there is considerable sympathy with security men and services providers who are carrying out their security and humanitarian duties.
“We have opened up all warehouses in the free zone areas to bring tents during the night. These are filled with refugees the following day. We have mobilized all public and private institutions for the provision of humanitarian services. On the other hand, we do not prevent any refugee from returning to his country and neither do we dictate their choices.”
Did the reception of Syrian dissidents pose any political pressure on Jordan? What are sources of these pressures at both internal and external levels, if any?
“You know that we are neighbors to Syria and on both sides of the border there are Jordanian-Syrian families in addition to big social and historic relations linking us with Syrian families. Syria is currently witnessing a crisis with its spillover into the neighboring countries and therefore we have to acknowledge that this crisis will affect us. We do not interfere in Syrian affairs. King Abdullah II has recently called on the Syrian leadership to adopt a political solution to end the crisis, and defections from the political system are a matter that concerns only Syrians. We are dealing with defectors entering our country as a natural product of the crisis. We will handle them in line with Jordan’s declared stance, calling for political solution and rejecting foreign interference and non-interference in Syrian internal affairs. Those who entered Jordan were treated as individuals and we never exploited defections that could harm the essence of our political stance.”
Are the reform measures underway in Jordan affected by the developments in Syria?
“As a government, we continue to implement the political reforms. Let me assure you that what is happening in Syria has no effect on the path of reform in Jordan. Our government and people are not part of the (Syrian) crisis and we have all necessary potentials to defend our country. We enjoy our security and stability and have strong political and constitutional institutions in addition to political parties, trade unions, civil communal organizations, and free press.
“Preparations are currently underway for parliamentary elections and even measures to this end were practically kicked off. However, these developments will never close the door for analytical views or expectations expressed by some political and media circles.”
If the Syrian regime collapsed, what developments might emerge in Jordan? Are there any scenarios in Jordan to deal with the post-Assad stage?
“All military and political scenarios are following developments in Syria at different levels. We have realistic assessments on what is happening in Syria and interact with events there based on their nature. We are fully aware that such crises have exposure to many paths and expectations and we have always called for political dialogue between different parties to settle the crisis to avoid getting into a full-scale civil war and sectarian conflicts.
“Jordan possesses a clear vision to achieve its basic objectives: how to maintain its security, stability and the interests of the Jordanian state and its people. We are working with the international community to ensure that things do not develop into a civil war and to avert any human catastrophe.”
There have been Syrian military provocations along the border, how do you assess these? Do you see any possible escalation?
“We are assessing the developments based on realistic data without exaggeration or manipulation of the situation. Yes, shells fell on our lands but the pace of shelling shows no prove that it was either intentionally carried out or formed any provocation. We are dealing with it in its realistic context; it is a product of clashes between the Syrian army and opposition groups. Areas of shelling are close to the border and, as mentioned earlier, joint families live in both countries and, naturally, there is sympathy with Syrian families. However, we do not meddle in Syrian affairs. With respect to our national security, we show no compromise and remain strict on this issue and the safety of the Jordanians remains a target and basic part of Jordan’s defense strategy.
“Some of shells fell on our territory due to internal clashes in Syria and we dealt with those in their proper context. We sent our complaints to the Syrian ambassador in Amman on the issue but without any exaggeration.”
Is there any risk that Syrian chemical weapons may fall in the hands of terrorist groups? Is there any plan to cooperate with Jordan’s friends to deal with such an issue?
“There are regional and international fears on the (fate of) the chemical weapons arsenal in Syria. In case of the regime’s collapse or chaos, the warring parties in Syria are feared to use such weapons irresponsibly, particularly when these weapons are transferred to terrorist groups. Some parties do not have proper assessment on the volume of destruction the weapons could make. Additionally the weapons pose a threat to the regional security. We are one of the countries neighboring Syria and the use of such weapons will have a negative impact on the whole region. This necessitates regional and international cooperation to face the situation. The issue is, therefore, does not only affect Jordan but the majority of the countries in the region and the international community as well. Jordan primarily wants to look for answers to this thorny issue through cooperation with all concerned parties.”