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Jordan, Syria Reopen Main Border Crossing

Jordan, Syria Reopen Main Border Crossing
folder_openSyria access_time5 years ago
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Local Editor

The border crossing between Jordan and Syria officially reopened on Monday after being closed for three years, though it will not be open to normal traffic immediately.

Meanwhile, the Syrian and Iraqi foreign ministers discussed accelerating efforts to reopen the border between their countries, Syrian state media said.

The Syrian government retook the area around the border crossing with Jordan at Nassib in July during a weeks-long Russian-backed offensive to drive rebels from their stronghold in southwest Syria.

The closure of the Nassib crossing in 2015 cut a crucial transit route for hundreds of trucks a day transporting goods between Turkey and the Gulf, and Lebanon and the Gulf, in multi-billion dollar annual trade.

Since then, Syria's only normally operating frontier crossing has been with Lebanon, which itself has no other functioning land borders.

The frontier with Turkey is still closed into Syrian government-held areas, and open only into territory controlled by rebels.

Near Syria's border with Iraq, a US military base has closed the main Damascus-Baghdad highway, though there is a smaller crossing at Albu Kamal further east that is presently open only for government or military traffic.

Technical teams from Syria and Jordan met on the Jordanian side on Sunday and agreed on the final arrangements to open the crossing from October 15, said Jordanian government spokeswoman Jumana Ghunaimat.

However, although the crossing officially reopened on Monday, it will not open to normal traffic just yet, said Nael Husami, head of the Amman chamber of industry.

Syrian state television also cited Interior Minister Mohammed al-Shaar as saying the border crossing and roads leading to it were being renovated.

Opening the border will also be important for Lebanon, which relies on Syria for overland connections to all other countries because its only other frontier is with Israel, with which it has no ties.

Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team

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