Ammon News - by Hani Hazaimeh/ Jordan Times

AMMAN — Prime Minister Abdullah Ensour reiterated Saturday that no American troops will remain in the Kingdom after the “Eager Lion 2013” military exercise ends later this month.

At a meeting with media representatives and political and economic columnists, the premier stressed that the government has asked the US administration to keep Patriot missile-defence batteries and F-16 warplanes in the Kingdom after the execution of the military drill, but requested that no troops remain.

“What will be left behind after the drill will be donated by the US government to the Jordan Armed Forces as part of the previously agreed US military assistance to the Kingdom,” Ensour said, adding that the US troops taking part in the drill will depart as soon as the exercise is over.

Responding to journalists’ questions, the premier stressed that Jordan will not be a platform for any foreign militaries to launch strikes against Syria, adding that the Kingdom has taken a moderate stance on the two-year-old Syrian civil war and will continue to do so.

According to a White House statement issued on Saturday, Defence Secretary Chuck Hagel has approved keeping Patriot missile-defence batteries and F-16 warplanes in Jordan.

The international media has reported that the US military has proposed options to the White House, including imposing a limited no-fly zone inside Syria that would be enforced from Jordanian territory to protect Syrian refugees.

“The Department of Defence continues to plan for a wide range of contingencies but the United States has not made any decision to establish a no-fly zone over Syria or within Jordanian airspace,” said Pentagon’s spokesman George Little.