Excerpts: Arab League goes to U.N. re Syria. Damascus located Hamas chief to
visit Jordan 26 January 2012

+++SOURCE: Naharnet (lebanon) 26 Jan. ’12:”Arab League Team to Head to U.N.
over Syria Saturday[28 Jan.] Agence France Presse

SUBJECT: Arab League goes to U.N.re Syria 28 Jan.

QUOTE: (Arab League) to seek ratification of the Arab League decision on
Syria”

FULL TEXT: Arab League chief Nabil al-Arabi and Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh
Hamad bin Jassim al-Thani are to head to New York on Saturday[28 Jan/] to
seek support for an Arab plan on Syria, Arabi said.

The two will "hold a meeting with the U.N. Security Council on Monday[30
Jan.] to seek ratification of the Arab League decision on Syria," for
President Bashar Assad to hand power to his deputy, Arabi said.

Arab League ministers meeting in Cairo last week had asked for U.N. support
in their efforts to resolve the crisis in Syria, where a crackdown on
protests has left more than 5,400 people dead since March.

The League called on Assad to delegate powers to his vice president and
clear the way for a national unity government to be formed within two months

+++SOURCE: Jordan Times 26 Jan.’12:”Hamas wants a ‘branch’ in Jordan”, by
Taylor Luck

SUBJECT: Damascus located Hamas chief to visit Jordan

QUOTES” first official visit . . .to the Kingdom in over a decade”,
“speculation among observers that the movement is preparing a mass
relocation from its host country (Syria) to Jordan”

FULL TEXT:AMMAN — Hamas chief Khaled Mishaal is set to make a
long-anticipated official visit to Jordan next week, marking a turnaround in
relations between Amman and the Palestinian resistance movement.

His Majesty King Abdullah will receive Mishaal next week in what will mark
the first official visit by the Hamas leader to the Kingdom in over a
decade, according to Minister of State for Media Affairs and Communications
Rakan Majali.

Majali confirmed that during the three-day visit, coordinated by Qatari Emir
Hamad Ben Khalifa and to start on Sunday[29 Jan.], Mishaal is also set to
meet with Prime Minister Awn Khasawneh, Interior Minister Mohammad Al Raoud
and other Jordanian officials.

According to a senior Hamas official, Hamad and Mishaal will also be
accompanied by several members of Hamas’ politburo, including Mousa Abu
Marzouq, second-in command in the office.

According to the source, who preferred to remain unnamed, Mishaal and the
delegation are expected to request permission for a “permanent presence” in
Jordan, stopping short of whether the Palestinian movement will seek to
reopen its political office in Amman.

The source stressed that Hamas’ intentions to establish a presence in the
Kingdom comes as part of the movement’s desire to “expand” its diplomatic
reach and not a sign that the Palestinian movement is abandoning its
Damascus headquarters.

“The internal situation in Syria has no influence whatsoever on our request
to establish a branch in Jordan or our desire to improve relations with
Jordanian authorities,” the source said in a telephone interview yesterday.

Majali stressed that the reopening of Hamas’ political office is “not on the
current agenda” of discussions.

In previous statements to the press, Khasawneh indicated that the government
would consider allowing the relocation of Hamas leaders and their families
to the Kingdom provided that they forego any “political activity” on
Jordanian soil.

Abu Marzouq criticised the proposal, stressing that political activity is a
core part of the movement’s mission to “protect the rights of Palestinians”.

Mishaal’s Jordan visit has faced a series of delays dating back to late
August which officials have attributed to “logistical and scheduling”
conflicts between the agendas of the officials involved.

The visit marks a turnaround for Jordanian decision makers, who have had
limited contacts with the resistance movement since closing its offices and
expelling senior leaders in 1999, a move Khasawneh has referred to as a
“political and constitutional mistake”.

The visit comes as the brewing crisis in Syria stretches into its tenth
month, sparking speculation among observers that the movement is preparing a
mass relocation from its host country to Jordan.

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Sue Lerner - Associate, IMRA