Are Turkey, Saudi Arabia pressuring Jordan on terror blacklist?
Jordan has been tasked with overseeing which groups fighting in Syria are designated as terrorist organizations, but its mission is complicated by alliances in the region.
Jordan's task of overseeing the development of a list of organizations fighting in Syria that are actually terrorist groups is a job fraught with potential headaches for the kingdom. The assignment by the International Syria Support Group is part of efforts to launch negotiations between the Syrian regime and the so-called moderate opposition early next year. Announced by Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov Nov. 15, the move is also tied to Article 6 of the support group's Oct. 30 Vienna Communique, which states, “Daesh [Islamic State, IS], and other terrorist groups, as designated by the UN Security Council, and further, as agreed by the participants, must be defeated.”
The Jordan Times quoted Minister of State for Media Affairs and Communications Mohammad Momani as saying, “Selecting Jordan for this task illustrates the international community’s recognition of Jordan’s capabilities and the efficiency of its military and security apparatuses.” Mohammad Abu Rumman, an expert on Islamist groups, said, however, the assignment might put Amman in a bind, given its special relations with Saudi Arabia and other Gulf countries, including the United Arab Emirates, its intelligence contacts with the United States and Europe, and its particular knowledge of the groups in Syria, including their financers and other supporters. In addition to US financial and military assistance, it relies on grants from Saudi Arabia, the UntAE and Kuwait.
