Al-Ahed’s Sit-Down with the Jordanian Delegation in Syria, Assad Sends a Message to the King

Mohammad Eid

Damascus hosted the first high-level Jordanian parliamentary delegation since the beginning of the Syrian war.

According to the delegation, they were dispatched under the patronage of their king and members of his government. Members of the Jordanian delegation were warmly greeted by many Syrian political and spiritual leaders.

The clearest reference to the warm greeting was an oral message that Syrian President Bashar Assad sent to King Abdullah II through the visiting delegation.  

The head of the Jordanian delegation, a current deputy and former Speaker of the House of Representatives Abdul Karim Doghmi told al-Ahed as much in an exclusive interview.

The message states that Syria and President Assad “do not want to look back at the past but into the future” with regards to the relationship with Amman. Will Amman seize the opportunity of Syrian forgiveness for the eight years of Jordan’s conspiring against its neighbor?

A Visit With The Blessing Of The King And The Jordanian Government

In a first move of its kind since the start of the Syrian crisis, Damascus received a high-ranking Jordanian delegation. The delegation was made up of deputies who defended Syria inside Jordan from the very beginning. The easing of tensions between the two countries and following the reopening of the Nasib border crossing helped these deputies in organizing a delegation that included the heads of the committees in the Jordanian Parliament.

The head of the delegation and its members told al-Ahed that this visit enjoys broad parliamentary support as well as the blessing of the Jordanian king.

The Jordanian delegation included political and parliamentary figures, most notably the former Speaker of the House of Representatives, current deputy and head of the delegation Abdul Karim Doghmi, the head of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Jordanian Parliament Nidal al-Ta'ani and the Chairman of the Committee on Public Liberties and Human Rights in Parliament Awad Al-Zawaida.

Assad's message to the King of Jordan: We will not reproach and we look forward to the future

We met the members of the Jordanian delegation in the building housing the Syrian Ministry of Justice after their meeting with Syria’s ministers of justice, foreign affairs as well as the Speaker of the People's Assembly and some Islamic and Christian spiritual leaders.

Their visit culminated in a meeting with President Assad.

"President Assad received us with a remarkable welcome. And His Excellency was, as usual, very positive and transparent. He spoke to us kindly and in an excellent manner,” the head of the delegation, Abdul Karim Doghmi, said in an exclusive with al-Ahed website.

"I do not want to look back to the past. I look forward to the future to deepen the relations between our two countries," Doghmi quoted Assad as saying regarding his stance towards the Jordanian government.

Doghmi explained to al-Ahed that "President Assad did not mention any of the negativity from the Jordanian side."

The delegation quoted President Assad as saying: "I do not reproach and I look forward to the future. God willing, our relationship will develop further."

After the meeting, he escorted the delegation outside the hall saying, "Give my greetings to His Majesty the King."

Doghmi stressed that he would convey this oral message to the Jordanian monarch and members of the government "with whom we have a strong relationship and who welcomed the visit we are making."

Moreover, Doghmi pointed out that his delegation had a particular position on the global war against Syria.

"We are with Syria, its people and its leadership and with Syria's allies in the axis of resistance," he said.

He added that the delegation came to congratulate Syria on eradicating terrorism, with only small pockets left in the north and east of the Euphrates.

"God willing, this liberation will be complete thanks to the support that the Syrian leadership enjoys from the people and the army in order to eliminate terrorism that threatens the entire region," Doghmi said.

There are no lists of Jordanians wanted by the Syrian government

Chairman of the Committee on Public Liberties and Human Rights in the Jordanian Parliament Awad Al-Zawaydeh told the website that he carries a message from the Speaker of the Jordanian House of Representatives Atef Tarawneh to his Syrian counterpart Hammouda Sabbagh that "aims to strengthen parliamentary, economic and social relations between the two brotherly countries."

One of the visiting Jordanian lawmakers addressed Syrian Justice Minister Hisham al-Sha'ar.

"Your Excellency, there are rumors circulating on social media, alleging that the Syrian government has a list of 9000 wanted Jordanians. We are sure these are rumors that want to disrupt our visit to Syria and prevent the Jordanians from coming to Syria. Can you deny them so we can spread the news in Jordan?" the Jordanian lawmaker asked.

Al-Sha’ar replied, "I have never heard of this and you can quote me."

Minister Al-Sha'ar assured al-Ahed that he was happy to meet the Jordanian MPs who represent their people, pointing out that they have a great role in developing relations, especially with the return of economic activity and exchanges as well as social relations between the two countries.

"The job of the deputies to bring things back to the way they were and better than before is a great undertaking," he added.  

Source: Al-Ahed, Syria