Syria, Jordan and the US have agreed to form a working group to sustain the fragile ceasefire in Syria’s southern Sweida province and assure long-term security, the Syrian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
The agreement was reached during high-level talks hosted by Amman on Tuesday between US special envoy Thomas Barrack, Jordan's Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi, and Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad Al Shibani, to discuss ways to support the process of rebuilding Syria after years of civil war.
The leaders welcomed the Syrian government's “efforts” in restoring services, the return of refugees, and “holding perpetrators of violations accountable”, the Syrian statement said.
The officials spoke about various issues, particularly supporting Syria’s postwar reconstruction and “ensuring its security, stability and sovereignty”, the Jordanian Foreign Ministry said.
Promoting the rights of all Syrians and consolidating the ceasefire in Sweida province were other matters to be discussed, it added.
Earlier, Mr Safadi met Mr Al Shibani and Mr Barrack separately, at the Jordanian Foreign Ministry’s headquarters.
Talks between the US, Syria and Jordan were mostly focused on enabling reconstruction efforts and securing foreign investment, but also tackled other pressing issues, such as protecting minorities from attacks like the recent violence against the Druze community in Sweida.
The meeting comes as Damascus seeks international investment to revive its economy, which has been devastated by nearly 14 years of conflict. The UN has estimated that Syria's postwar reconstruction will cost more than $400 billion.
Amman has increasingly engaged with Damascus as part of regional efforts to stabilise the situation and encourage more investment, but the Syrian government is facing mounting pressure to address increasing security issues.
Last month, Jordan held a meeting with its Syrian counterparts “to address the consolidation of the ceasefire in the Sweida governorate in southern Syria” a statement from the ministry said.
Last week, Damascus signed 12 major agreements valued at $14 billion, including a $4 billion deal with Qatar’s UCC Holding to build a new airport and a $2 billion agreement with the UAE’s National Investment Corporation to construct a subway in Damascus.
