Syrian delegation in Amman in latest attempt to restore ties

AMMAN — A delegation of Syrian lawyers arrived in the Kingdom on Thursday for a three-day visit during which they will meet with Senate President Faisal Fayez and Lower House Speaker Atef Tarawneh over bilateral relations.

The Syrian delegation's visit came upon an invitation from the Jordan Bar Association (JBA), which was the first non-governmental body to visit Damascus after the reopening of the Jaber/Nasib border crossing with Syria in October last year.

JBA President Mazen Irsheidat told The Jordan Times that the delegation was headed by Syria's Bar Association chief, Nizar Skeif.

Skeif is a member of the Syrian People's Assembly, the Damascus delegation in the Astana talks and the committee tasked with drafting a new constitution for the country, according to Irsheidat.

"Skeif is a very important Syrian politician and legislator," Irsheidat said, adding that the Syrian delegation will meet with the heads of both Houses of Parliament to discuss ways to push the Jordanian-Syrian relations forward.

Iresheidat said that the visits of the Jordanian association and other civil society organisations to Syria came in implementation of His Majesty King Abdullah's directives. 

"His Majesty told us during a meeting to go to Syria and take the initiative to pave the way for government agencies' official visits to the northern neigbour," he told The Jordan Times on Thursday.

"This was also urged by President Bashar Assad during a meeting in Damascus ten days ago. There is certainly a strong will from the leaders of the two countries to strengthen Jordanian-Syrian relations," Irsheidat added.

"Syria is Jordan's lung," the JBA president said, citing efforts made by other professional associations towards enhancing the Jordanian-Syrian relations.

Representatives of the medical, pharmacists, engineers and contractors associations have paid visits to Syria since the reopening of the crossing.

"The JBA was the first association to cross the crossing," Irsheidat noted.

The syndicate chief also told The Jordan Times that Tarawneh sent an official letter to Syrian People's Assembly Speaker Hammoudeh Sabbagh, inviting him to attend the 29th meeting of the Arab Inter-parliamentary Union, slated to be held in Amman in March.