by Taylor Luck | Jul 18, 2012 | JORDAN TIMES
AMMAN — As rebels pushed further into the heart of Damascus on Wednesday, developments were watched with anxiety in Amman, where decision makers struggle to respond to a civil war brewing at the country’s northern borders and the potential collapse of the Bashar Assad regime.
With the violence in Syria unfolding, observers say officials are left at a crossroads to decide whether to support rebel forces and revolutionaries or to maintain the largely neutral stance that has defined the Kingdom’s Syria policy for the past 18 months.
Even before the outbreak of fighting in the Syrian capital, which may mark the turning point of the conflict, observers say Jordanian decision makers began changing their tone.
In a press statement on Tuesday, Prime Minister Fayez Tarawneh downplayed the ability of dialogue to solve the crisis, calling for the direct intervention of the UN Security Council to stop the bloodshed in Jordan’s northern neighbour.
Although Foreign Minister Nasser Judeh was quick to deny that the comments represented any reversal in Jordan’s stance against military intervention in Syria, observers say the statement marks a development in Amman’s long-held policy of neutrality towards Syria.
“It is clear that after all of the massacres, after all the human rights violations, we can no longer sit by and stay silent,” said Jamil Nimri, political observer and Irbid MP.
In light of the recent developments, observers called for a complete diplomatic turnaround.
“We have only taken a small step in a direction away from supporting the Syrian regime,” Nimri said.
With a host of diplomatic options “on the table”, Jordanian officials say they are more concerned with preparing the country for any potential impact of the widening violence on the Kingdom.
“Any increase in violence and chaos within Syria will affect neighbouring countries, and we have to be prepared for any impact on Jordan’s stability,” said Minister of State for Media Affairs and Communications and Government Spokesperson Samih Maaytah.
Although officials decline to detail the potential scenarios under study, they have indicated that security services are preparing for a potential use of Syrian chemical weapons in the border region, the flood of jihadi militants into the Kingdom and a refugee crisis the likes of which Jordan has never seen.
Despite the various options in front of the government and the recent mobilisation of armed forces along the northern border, officials stress that supporting military intervention is not one of them.
“Jordan has not, does not, and will not support military intervention in Syria and does not interfere in the affair of others states,” Maaytah stressed.
According to observers, Amman’s refusal to support direct international intervention in Syria is driven by more than respect for its neighbour’s sovereignty.
Even if the regime nears collapse, former officials say Jordan’s ability to act as a staging ground for any international intervention will be limited by fears over the presence of “hundreds” of Syrian agents on Jordanian soil.
http://jordantimes.com/as-syria-nears-tipping-point-jordan-at-diplomatic-crossroads