ammonnews.net

Ammon News - by Omar Obeidat | The Jordan Times

AMMAN –– Authorities have recently taken a decision to prevent vehicles with Syrian licence plates from entering the Kingdom, a security official said on Sunday.

Speaking on condition of anonymity, the official told The Jordan Times that only cars belonging to Syrians who have investor status in Jordan, and transit vehicles are allowed to enter the country under the new decision.

The source said the decision was taken for security reasons, adding that the ban will not be lifted in the foreseeable future.

The focus is on cars that enter Jordan via the Jaber Border Crossing in Mafraq, since Ramtha’s border, the other crossing in and out of conflict-ridden Syria, has been closed for almost two years.

Another official said the decision was taken to control traffic jams in Amman and other major cities, particularly during Ramadan and the period of the Eid Al Fitr holiday, when the majority of Jordanian expatriates return to the Kingdom to spend the vacation with their families.

Official figures estimate that around 700,000 Jordanians work in the Gulf as medical practitioners, engineers and bankers.

The government official said a large number of tourists from the Arab Gulf, mainly Saudi Arabia, are expected to arrive in Jordan in the next few days to spend the Eid holiday, which marks the Muslim feast celebrating the end of the fasting month.

According to the official, who also preferred to remain unnamed, there are over 1.2 million cars in Jordan.

Around 1.3 million Syrians currently reside in the Kingdom, over half-a-million of whom are refugees who fled to Jordan after the Syrian conflict erupted in 2011. Over 70 per cent of the refugees live among host communities in Jordan.