AMMAN, Jordan
(AP) -- Jordan will not be used as a launching pad for attacks on Syria
and the kingdom favors a diplomatic solution to the crisis, a Jordanian
government spokesman said Wednesday.
A
U.S.-led strike on Syria in response to the alleged use of chemical
weapons by President Bashar Assad's regime likely would involve cruise
missile attacks from the sea, which would not need to cross or make use
of Jordanian territory.
But the remarks
underline the U.S. ally's efforts to avoid further friction with its
larger neighbor for fear that Assad or his Iranian backers could
retaliate.
The remarks come a day after Jordan
hosted a meeting of top commanders from Western and Middle Eastern
countries, including some that are likely to participate in a military
action.
"Jordan will not be a launching pad
for any military action against Syria," said spokesman Mohammad Momani,
who is also the country's information minister.
He
said Jordan prefers a "diplomatic solution to the Syrian crisis" and
called on the international community to "consolidate efforts in that
regard."
Tuesday, Gen. Martin Dempsey,
chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, met with Arab and Western
peers to discuss ways to bolster the security of Syria's neighbors
against possible attacks, chemical or other, by Assad's regime, a
Jordanian security official said. Army chiefs of staff from Jordan,
Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Turkey, Britain, Germany, France, Italy and Canada
also attended the meeting in Jordan.
Syrian
state radio, quoting an unnamed political commentator, accused Jordan in
news bulletins Tuesday of participating in a U.S.-led "aggression" for
hosting the meeting.
Similar meetings took
place earlier this year in Britain and Qatar. The Jordanian official
said more meetings were planned in the near future. He spoke on
condition of anonymity because he is not allowed to speak publicly to
journalists.
Hundreds of thousands of refugees
have fled into Jordan from Syria. On Wednesday, a representative of the
United Nations' refugee agency said as many as 200 enter Jordan daily,
but none had come from the area affected by the alleged chemical weapons
attack in the suburbs of Syria's capital, Damascus.
Meanwhile,
the Islamic Action Front, the political arm of Jordan's Muslim
Brotherhood, condemned a possible U.S. military intervention in Syria.
"It
will not help the Syrian people, but aims first and foremost at
boosting American and Zionist interests by weakening and dividing Syria
and imposing a political regime that would be a puppet to the
Americans," the group said in a statement.
The
group also warned of the "serious repercussions" on the Palestinian
issue, saying a weakened Syria would allow Israel to impose
"self-tailored solutions to the lingering Arab-Israeli conflict."
---
Associated Press writer Dale Gavlak contributed to this report.
No comments:
Post a Comment