Jordanian troops near the al-Rukban camp, By: aljazeera.com
On November 8, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Jordan announced in a statement that Jordan, Russia and the U.S. are currently holding talks to find a final solution for the al-Rukban camp, which is located near the US-led coalition base in the Syrian area of al-Tanaf.
According to the ministry’s statement, Jordan has accepted a Russian plan that includes dismantling the camp and allowing refugees there to return to their homes in the government-held areas of Syria.
“Jordan supports the Russia plan to find suitable conditions to dismantle the gathering [al-Rukban], Jordanian-U.S.-Russian talks also began in order to find a final solution for al-Rukban crisis by providing conditions for the voluntary return of its inhabitants to their cities and towns,” the Jordanian statement reads.
Later, a spokesman for the Jordanian Foreign Ministry, Majd al-Qatarnah, stressed that only Syria and the U.N. are responsible for the crisis in the al-Rukban camp as it is not located within Jordan territory. However, he said that Jordan is committed to finding a final solution for this crisis.
“Providing the needs of the gathering is the responsibility of Syria and the U.N., not Jordan,” al-Qatarnah said.
More than 50,000 refugees are currently living in the al-Rukban camp in catastrophic humanitarian conditions, according to local sources. Last week, a humanitarian aid convoy entered the camp after months of delay. However, the situation in the camp didn’t improve, which likely forced Jordan and the U.S. to consider the Russian plan.
