In an interview with FRANCE 24, Ayman Safadi, Jordan’s deputy prime minister and foreign minister, said it was time to reassess Western policy vis-à-vis Syria and that the approach followed in recent years had failed. “The only end to the crisis is a political solution,” he added. The Jordanian minister also hinted that his country was favourable to bringing Syria back into the Arab League.
Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi said it was up to US President Joe Biden’s administration to decide whether it would also take the path of normalisation with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. However, he insisted, "the status quo is no option".
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With regard to an agreement to provide energy to Lebanon via Jordan and Syria, Safadi said the US had agreed to grant a waiver from its sanctions on transactions with Syria.
The Jordanian foreign minister went on to praise Jordan’s improved relationship with Israel, welcoming the arrival of Naftali Bennett as prime minister. However, he condemned recent Israeli announcements of new settlements in the West Bank, stressing that this was undermining the prospect of a two-state solution.
