Jordan pressures Syrian rebels to reopen Nasib crossing
Syrian opposition groups have been refusing to cave in to Jordanian pressure to hand over the Nasib border crossing to the Syrian government, while Jordan, which hopes to revive this trade route and encourage Syrian refugees to return home, has plenty of leverage over the rebels.
Jordan is putting pressure on Syrian rebel groups in southern Syria to hand over the Nasib border crossing in Daraa province to the Syrian army, according to various news sources. The London-based Asharq Al-Awsat daily reported Sept. 27 that meetings had taken place in Amman in mid-September between Jordanian officials, representatives of Syrian opposition groups and the local council in Daraa to reach an agreement that would lead to the reopening of the Nasib border crossing with Jordan.
The kingdom closed its side of the border crossing in Jaber when Nasib fell to rebel groups in May 2015. The paper said the Syrian government had made suggestions to Jordan’s Foreign Ministry regarding the reopening of borders between the two countries under which Syrian government officials would operate the Nasib crossing “just as they did before March 2011,” when the Syrian uprising erupted.
