AMMAN (Zaman Alwasl)-Coinciding with expelling Syria’s ambassador to Amman, Jordan’s king Abdullah II gave approval Monday for the Syrian opposition to open a formal mission in the kingdom, a well-informed source told Zaman Alwasl.
The move comes at a critical time in the Syrian conflict as Bashar al-Assad’s regime has made recent battlefield gains and is planning presidential elections on June 3.
Sources said the opposition
office won’t be considered an embassy, or
a consulate, but just a representation.
The west-backed opposition group National Coalition has nominated Mr. Mohamed al-Merwih, 36 year-old, as its envoy to Amman in agreement with Jordanian authorities, Zaman Alwasl source said.
Jordan on Monday expelled Assad’s ambassador and ordered him to leave Amman within 24 hours, accusing him of making "offensive" statements about the kingdom, AP reported.
The development was unexpected, since Jordan had kept an ambassador ever since the conflict erupted in 2011 in the neighboring country — despite quietly supporting rebels trying to overthrow the rule of Bashar Assad.
The expulsion was first reported by the state-run Petra news agency.
Ambassador Bahjat Suleiman was declared persona non-grata because of "continued offensive statements, through his personal contacts or writing in the media and the social media against the kingdom," according to a statement by the Jordanian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman, Sabah al-Rafie.
Jordan's Information Minister Mohammed al-Momani also confirmed the expulsion in a text message to The Associated Press but provided no details.
Syria's conflict, now in its fourth year, has killed at least 162,000 people, according to activists. Nearly 3 million Syrians have also fled the country, with around 600,000 seeking refuge in neighboring Jordan. However, Jordanian officials say the number is much higher. (With AP)
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