The last time the
Jaber border crossing with Syria was in the news was 11 months ago, when the outlet was closed due to
the multiple cases of COVID-19 reported there, triggering the vicious second wave of the pandemic, blamed on loose oversight and rumored
bribery and corruption.
اضافة اعلان
Weeks later, authorities allowed back-to-back handling of goods to minimize
health risks.
But this is only part of the story. Jordan was again the victim of
regional geopolitics. In September 2019, reports spoke of a warning US
diplomats had issued to Jordanian businessmen who had plans to reignite the lucrative business dealings with Syria, citing
Caesar Syrian Civilian Protection Act, which sanctions any
foreigner who does business with Syria. The business circles in Jordan were in
a dilemma, unable to anger the American ally and in a dire need for recovery
from a choking economic crisis. Syria was a big part of the solution.
LA Times quoted Jordanian business leaders as saying: “They told us, ‘Don’t deal with Syria, don’t go to Syria.’ Then
they went further and told us we better liquidate our investments there.”
Although the country is apparently seeing
the third wave of
COVID-19 these days, the good news was broken yesterday, with
the government announcing that Interior Minister Mazen Farraya made a phone call
Tuesday to his Syrian counterpart, Mohammad Khalid Al-Rahmoun, “and stressed
the need to re-operate the center at full capacity, due to the strategic
importance of Jaber crossing and the benefits both Jordan and Syrian can reap.”
The statement said that Farraya acted upon
instructions by Prime Minister Bisher Al-Khasawneh, who visited the facility earlier
this month.
The Syrian minister “welcomed the suggestion to
re-open the center … vowing his country’s willingness to take all the necessary
arrangements towards that end”.
The two sides, the statement added,
agreed to open the door for field coordination between the officials manning
the facility on both sides, including the health protocol that should be
followed.
Observers see that His Majesty
King Abdullah's recent visit to Washington DC and his talks there with President
Biden, key administration officials, and Congress leaders have brought about
the positive shift.
In an analysis published by
Jordan
News this week by economic expert Salameh Dirawi, he said the King "put
this issue at the top of his discussions, since Jordan must have some leeway
regarding this law as the host of one of the largest number of refugees..."
The expert expects that if trade with Syria is back
to normal, national exports will increase by
more than $300 million annually.
And with the soaring prices of commodities imported from overseas, due
to the crazy hikes in shipping fees, Jordan will be importing cheaper
merchandise from Syria, let alone that trade routes with Syria are the same
leading to Lebanon, which is facing an economic crisis posing an existential
threat to the country.
Let's
not forget that the Ramtha northern community has historically relied on petty
trade with Syria, bringing cheaper goods and selling them locally for a profit.
Hundreds, if not thousands, of families will see better days if things go back
to the way they were before the Syrian crisis.
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