Jordan, U.N. to Assist Syrian Refugees

Jordan relayed its intention to create a refugee camp on the border near Syria to account for the Syrian refugees that “would flood the country as the Syrian army continued to attack civilians protesting the continued rule of Bashar al-Assad.” A U.N. refugee organization said that land has been designated to establish the camp since thousands of Syrians have reportedly been pouring over the border into Jordan. The UN High Commissioner for Refugees in Jordan is working with Jordan’s Ministry of Interior to prepare the encampment north of Amman. Dana Bajali, a spokeswoman for UNHCR, stated “The area where it would be possible to receive an influx of refugees has been designated, but there hasn’t been any kind of action taken on the ground yet. No tents have been set up, but at least the land has been designated for such a contingency.”

According to a Saudi Arabian newspaper, officials confirmed that Jordan is hosting “defecting Syrian troops who cross the border [and they] have been taken to the city of Ramtha in northwest Jordan and to Amman.” Meanwhile, Hussein Dabbas, the head of Royal Jordanian Air, said flights to Tripoli will resume this week following assurances from the Libyan government of aviation safety.