Amman summons Syria diplomat over alleged detentions

By Laith al-Juneidi

AMMAN (AA) – The Jordanian Foreign Ministry on Thursday summoned Ayman Alloush, Syria’s charge d'affaires in Amman, to demand the release of Jordanian nationals who it says have been unjustly detained by the Syrian authorities.

“The Foreign Ministry is calling on the Syrian regime to immediately release all detained Jordanian nationals and abide by international laws relevant to such cases,” ministry spokesman Sufyan al-Qadha said in a statement.

According to al-Qadha, Alloush was summoned by Zaid al-Lozi, secretary-general of Jordan’s Foreign Ministry, to convey Amman’s concerns over what he described as “the repeated arrest without cause of Jordanian citizens”.

He went on to allege that the Syrian authorities had detained more than 30 Jordanian nationals since the land border between the two countries was reopened late last year.

According to the spokesman, Alloush has promised to raise the issue with Damascus and deliver a response to Amman “within the next few days”.

Relations between Jordan and Syria, which share a 375-kilometer border, largely deteriorated in 2011 after conflict erupted in the latter country.

Diplomatic ties were completely suspended in 2014 after Jordan expelled Syria’s ambassador in Amman.

Relations have thawed somewhat in recent months, however, with the two neighbors officially reopening their shared border last October.

In another sign of warming ties, Jordan in January raised the level of its diplomatic representation in Damascus to the level of chargé d'affaires.