Jordan’s Crown Prince says solution for refugees lies in return to Syria
QAMISHLI, Syria (North Press) – Jordan’s Crown Prince, Hussein bin Abdullah II, said on Sunday that the solution for the issue of Syrian refugees lies in their return to Syria.
“We are in contact with several parties to create a suitable environment for voluntary return. We have more than 1.3 million Syrian refugees in Jordan, 50 percent are under the age of 15,” Hussein said in an exclusive interview with Al-Arabiya channel.
He pointed out Jordan received only 29 percent of the necessary aid to respond to the Syrian crisis last year.
The Crown Prince emphasized that if the international community does not fulfill its responsibilities towards the refugees, Jordan will not be able to provide a decent life for them.
Meanwhile concerning smuggling operation, Hussein stressed that Jordan is being targeted by armed groups organizing operations to smuggle drugs and weapons across the Syrian border into the country.
“It is clear they have great capabilities and are targeting Jordan’s national security and targeting regional countries since the Jordanian territory is a gateway to the entire region,” he said.
Since the start of the Syrian conflict in 2011, Jordan has experienced numerous attempts at infiltration and smuggling of drugs and weapons, mainly originating from Syria and Iraq.
Jordanian authorities from time to time announce thwarting drug and weapon smuggling attempts on its border with Syria.
On May 20, Jordan’s Customs Department announced successfully foiling an attempt to smuggle 800,000 captagon pills from Syria at the Jaber border crossing between Syria and Jordan.