Jordan beefs up protection of borders with Syria from terror spill

AMMAN, April 23 (Xinhua) -- Jordan on Monday said it succeeded in protecting the borders with Syria since the start of the unrest in the neighboring country with high professionalism, the state-run Petra news agency reported.

Jordan's Minister of State Mohammad Momani said Jordan thwarted several attempts by terrorists to infiltrate into the kingdom and prevented attempts to smuggle weapons and narcotics into Jordan.

"The Syrian and the Jordanian armies are supposed to be protecting the two sides between the two countries but since the start of the unrest in Syria the Jordan army is protecting the borders in both directions alone," said the minister.

Jordan succeeded in protecting its borders and not "even a butterfly can penetrate our borders", said Momani.

The minister said Jordan will continue to protect its borders from all infiltration attempts, adding that Jordan is in constant touch with all key players in the Syrian crisis.

The minister reiterated Jordan's call for a political solution in Syria, saying the kingdom was among the first to call for such a solution in Syria.

Momani said Jordan closely follows up on developments in Syria, stressing the need for preserving the de-escalation zone that was created in the southern parts of Syria last year following a tripartite agreement between Jordan, the U.S. and Russia. Enditem