Jordan News

Does Syria have any friends left?This is a good question which should be raised before the G11 or the core “Friends of Syria” group meet in Jordan before the promised Geneva 2 conference takes place.What precisely do some Friends of Syria want? Do all of those participating in the Jordan conference deserve to be called …

Fahed Al-Zaid, Saudi Arabia’s ambassador to Jordan, said that his embassy has confirmed that they do not have information related to Saudis who have entered Syrian territories. The statement came in response to requests from Saudi families to search for missing relatives in the country.“No one has contacted the embassy …

Major powers urged Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on Wednesday to commit to peace and step down as they gathered in neighbouring Jordan to discuss preparations for a Russian- and US-proposed peace conference.

(Adds quotes, background) AMMAN, May 22 (Reuters) - Syrian President Bashar al-Assadmust turn over power to a transitional government in order for aU.S.- and Russian-backed peace conference to have any chance ofsuccess, French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said onWednesday. "It is perfectly clear that the main aim of …

* Hague urges date for international conference to be set * Says risk to regional stability growing each day (Adds quotes on arms embargo, Jordanian comment) By Suleiman Al-Khalidi AMMAN, May 22 (Reuters) - British Foreign Secretary WilliamHague said on Wednesday Iran and its militant Shi'ite Lebaneseally Hezbollah were …

AMMAN, May 22 (Reuters) - Iran and its militant Shi'iteLebanese ally Hezbollah are "propping up" President Basharal-Assad and giving him increasing support, British ForeignSecretary William Hague said on Wednesday. Speaking before a meeting of the Friends of Syria alliancein the Jordanian capital, Hague said Britain would …

Jordan on Tuesday summoned the Iraqi charge d'affaires after employees at Baghdad's embassy beat and kicked Jordanian supporters of Saddam Hussein at a seminar on mass graves in Amman.

* Jordanian army turns back refugees at border-aid workers * UN official says main refugee entry points blocked * Jordan tells UNHCR refugees are unable to reach border (Adds U.N. official in Geneva) By Suleiman Al-Khalidi AMMAN, May 21 (Reuters) - Jordan has turned away thousandsof Syrian refugees in the past week in the …

Amman, May 20 (IANS/AKI) Three Syrian refugees, including a 10-year-old boy, have died in Jordan, the country's official Petra news agency said Monday.

Jordanian terror suspect Abu Qatada was on Monday denied bail in his latest skirmish with British authorities, who have been trying to deport him for a decade.

By Estelle Shirbon LONDON, May 20 (Reuters) - Radical Muslim cleric Abu Qatadacould be deported to Jordan to face trial on terrorism chargeswithin weeks, a British court heard on Monday, and it ruled heshould remain in jail in the meantime to prevent him fromabsconding. Abu Qatada's deportation to Jordan, which the Britishgovernment …

Aid organisation Oxfam warned on Monday that the warmer weather will increase health-related risks for hundreds of thousands of Syrian refugees in Jordan and Lebanon, and appealed for urgent funds.

The Kingdom has hired 2,323 doctors from seven countries to ensure health care services accross the Kingdom, a senior official from the Ministry of Health announced yesterday.Ministry spokesman Khalid Al-Mirghalani said that these doctors were recruited over the past three years from Egypt, Jordan, Pakistan, the US, Britain, …

Prime minister says involvement in final settlement discussions will aim at guaranteeing rights of Palestinian refugees.

Amman, Asharq Al-Awsat—A number of highly contagious and fatal diseases are spreading amongst refugees in the Al-Zaatari [Syrian Refugee] Camp, according to a Jordanian Health official.Dr. Mohammed Al Abdallat, Director of Communicable Diseases in the Jordanian Ministry of Health revealed to Asharq Al-Awsat that medical …

Unprecedented and sometimes deadly tribal violence at university campuses in Jordan threatens the country's ambitions to build a solid system of higher education, experts warn.

Amman, Asharq Al-Awsat—Muhammad Al-Mawmani, the Jordanian minister of information and communications, said that the Jordanian Armed Forces and border security forces are fully prepared to defend the borders and safeguard the country’s security and stability.Mawmani’s statements came as a response to an inquiry regarding …

As violence in Syria continues, the al-Zaatari refugee camp in Jordan is on pace to become the largest in the world.

(Adds Kerry to attend Syria meeting in Jordan, paragraph 10) By Patricia Zengerle KIRUNA, Sweden, May 15 (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of StateJohn Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said onWednesday they believed they could pull off peace talks onSyria, where their nations back opposing sides in a war that mayhave …

The Saudi owner of an Algerian cargo ship whose crew were held by Somali pirates for 10 months admitted paying $ 2.6 million to free them in November 2011, AFP reported yesterday quoting an Algerian newspaper.The MV Blida, carrying 17 Algerians, six Ukrainians, two Filipinos, one Jordanian and one Indonesian, was captured …

By Mariam Karouny BEIRUT (Reuters) - Syrian rebels including the al Qaeda-linked Nusra Front have counter-attacked east of Damascus to retake a town that served as a conduit for arms from Jordan into the capital before it was seized by government forces last month, rebel sources said. The rebels' struggle to end four decades …

(Adds details) AMMAN, May 14 (Reuters) - The 'Friends of Syria' nationsbacking President Bashar al-Assad's opponents will meet nextweek in Jordan to discuss peace talks sponsored by the UnitedStates and Russia, Jordanian officials said on Tuesday. "The peace conference will be the focus of the meeting," oneof the officials …