Syria’s “interim president” Ahmad al-Sharaa, a former al-Qaeda leader and head of the jihadi insurgent group that deposed dictator Bashar Assad in December, visited Jordan on Wednesday for security talks with King Abdullah II.
“His majesty affirmed the need to coordinate closely in view of the challenges concerning border security and curbing the smuggling of weapons and narcotics,” said a statement from the Jordanian monarchy.
Sharaa’s visit, his third trip abroad since leading the charge to overthrow Assad, was brief but luxurious. He was personally welcomed at the airport in Amman by the king, then drove with him to the palace for meetings with almost all of Jordan’s top officials. A few hours later, Sharaa was back in Damascus.
Jordan had a tortured relationship with its Syrian neighbors during the reign of Assad. The generally pro-Western Jordanians ostracized Assad during the long and brutal Syrian civil war, but began mending fences once it seemed clear that Assad had secured his grip on power with heavy military support from Russia and Iran.
The Jordanians were eager to resolve their problems with Syrian refugees, of which they have more than a million, and nervous that Syria’s many armed factions and terrorist gangs might spread unrest – and smuggle drugs and weapons – across the Jordanian border. With the Islamic State “caliphate” destroyed and Assad seemingly snug on his throne, the Jordanians wanted to restore profitable bilateral trade to ease the cost of absorbing Syrian refugees and work out a better border security deal with Damascus.
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Just as this tentative reconciliation process was gathering steam, Sharaa and his al-Qaeda offshoot, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), came roaring out of the last insurgent stronghold in northwestern Syria, blazed across the country in less than two weeks, and conquered Damascus. Assad headed off to exile in Russia and the Jordanians seemingly resigned themselves to dealing with Sharaa.
One bright spot for Jordan is that Assad’s defeat means a dramatic reduction in Iran’s malign influence over Syria. On the other hand, there are signs that Syria might fracture into pieces under HTS rule, as groups like the Kurds and Druze consider breaking away from their new jihadi government, and Israel may feel obliged to exert long-term control over Syrian border territory as a security buffer.
The Jerusalem Post on Monday anticipated Sharaa’s visit to Jordan could be brief but highly significant, as the leader of the Syrian junta seeks to rally support from Western-aligned powers like Jordan, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey to secure relief from tough sanctions imposed against Assad’s regime.
Sharaa reportedly went to Jordan to promise more help with securing the border and shutting down drug-smuggling operations, which the Jordanians have long blamed on Syrian militia groups loyal to Iran. The interim president traveled in the company of his Minister of Foreign and Expatriates Affairs, which would seem to signal he was ready to discuss bringing Syrian refugees home.
In return, Sharaa wants Jordan to increase supplies of fuel and electricity to Syria, and help with rebuilding the war-torn country.
“Jordan is not merely a border state with Syria. The two countries share many things in common historically. The population of northern Jordan, for instance, has tribal connections with people in southern Syria,” the Jerusalem Post noted Wednesday.
Sharaa will also want King Abdullah’s support against Israel, and he may very well get it. Jordan condemned reported Israeli airstrikes on southern Syria on Tuesday night as a violation of Syria’s territorial integrity.
An op-ed at the Jordan Times on Tuesday suggested the monarchy is very close to embracing Sharaa’s “interim government” as legitimate and inclusive (give or take a few Kurds, Druze, and the Shiite sect that produced the Assad dynasty).
In this analysis, the canny King Abdullah just needs a few more assurances that HTS will not revert to its al-Qaeda roots and become a bloody Islamist tyranny:
The new [Syrian] government’s equation includes a strong relationship with Turkey, given the strong previous ties between Hayat Tahrir Al Sham and Ankara. It also involves a relationship with Saudi Arabia, which is of prime significance, given Riyadh’s regional and international weight.
However, Jordan shares a special relationship with Syria due to geographical proximity, mutual interests. When Al Sharaa visits Jordan and meets with His Majesty King Abdullah, he will understand the importance of building on this special relationship and in addressing bilateral or regional issues, benefiting in this regard from the Jordanian leadership’s expertise and presence.
Sharaa’s trip to Amman was short, but no boot prints were visible upon his posterior when he departed, and Abdullah declared Jordan’s support for “the Syrian brothers in rebuilding their country in a way that guarantees Syria’s unity, security, and stability.” It seems likely that Sharaa said what the king wanted to hear.