Jordan against intervention in Syria, PM says

Jordan has said it is against any military intervention in Syria, ruling out any attempt by the United States to use its land for a possible war on Syria.

Jordanian Prime Minister Abdullah Ensour was quoted by the state-run Petra news agency as saying on Saturday that Amman is “against any military intervention in Syria and will not allow its lands to be used for any intervention in Syria.”

He also stated that Amman favors a political solution to the crisis in Syria that guarantees the unity and stability of the country.

Ensour also dismissed reports that forces from the US special operations and CIA spy agency members were training militants fighting against the Syrian government on the Jordanian soil.

“There is no training in our country whatsoever of Syrian opposition forces,” the Jordanian premier said.

Ensour also said the United States had stationed about 900 troops in Jordan for military exercises.

He added that 200 US experts were providing training on how to deal with a chemical attack, and that 700 US troops were operating Patriot missile systems and F-16 warplanes.

“The number of US forces in Jordan is small and not intended to be in preparation for a war on Syria,” Ensour stated.

The United States has installed two Patriot missile batteries in Jordan and also deployed a squadron of 12 to 24 F-16 warplanes. Each Patriot battery has an average of 12 missile launchers.

In a letter to US House of Representatives Speaker John Boehner on June 21, US President Barack Obama said the deployment had been made at the request of the Jordanian government.

Obama stated that about 700 of the US troops deployed to Jordan would stay in the country.

On June 9, Jordan and the US began Eager Lion 2013 military exercises in Jordan’s desert areas, which border Syria. About 8,000 troops from 19 countries also participated in the maneuvers. The drills ended on June 20.

The foreign-sponsored militancy in Syria has taken its toll on the lives of many people, including Syrian soldiers, since it erupted over two years ago.