Excerpts: Egypt's president vows support for Palestinians, Syria 'rebels'.
Jordan tightening borders re Syria spillover June 30, 2012

+++SOURCE: Jordan Times 30 June '12:"Egypt's Mursi sworn in as president,
vows support for Palestinians, Syrians", Agence France Presse
SUBJECT: Egypt's president vows support for Palestinians, Syria 'rebels'
QUOTE:"He repeated that Egypt would respect its international treaties, in
an allusion to its 1979 peace accord with Israel"
EXCERPTS:CAIRO –– Mohammed Mursi took the oath of office on Saturday[30
June] to become Egypt's first Islamist president and its first elected head
of state since Hosni Mubarak's overthrow last year. . . .

"I swear by the Almighty God to sincerely preserve the republican order and
to respect the constitution and law, and completely care for the people's
interest," he said at the ceremony at the court.. . .

"The elected institutions will return to fulfilling their roles. And the
great military will devote itself to the task of protecting the country," he
told his audience, which included the military's leader, Field Marshal
Hussein Tantawi.

He then set out some of his international and domestic objectives, saying he
would be a "servant of the people" in a "democratic, modern and
constitutional state".

Internationally, he said Egypt respected would back the Palestinians and
called for an end to the bloodshed in Syria.

"I announce from here that Egypt, its people and presidential institution
stand with the Palestinian people until they regain all their rights," he
said.

"We support the Syrian people. We want the bloodshed to stop," he added.

He repeated that Egypt would respect its international treaties, in an
allusion to its 1979 peace accord with Israel.

"We carry a message of peace to the world, accompanied and preceded by a
message of right and justice."

. . .

The Brotherhood is vehemently opposed to Syrian president Bashar al-Asad and
supports the uprising against him.

But as president, Mursi is not expected to radically change his country's
foreign policy, especially towards Israel, in which the military is expected
to exercise its clout.

In a Friday speech before tens of thousands of supporters in Cairo's Tahrir
Square, the epicentre of the revolt that ousted Mubarak, he said that he
would insist on retaining all the presidency's powers.

"I renounce none of the prerogatives of president," he said.. "You are the
source of power and legitimacy," he told his supporters.

+++SOURCE: Jordan Times 30 June '12:"Jordan ‘tightening borders’ amid Syria
spillover fears",by Taylor Luck

SUBJECT:

QUOTE:"Jordan has tightened entry restrictions along its nothern borders .
. .influx of Syrian refugees may become a threat to the Kingdom's national
security"
FULL TEXT:AMMAN — Jordan has tightened entry restrictions along its northern
borders, security officials say, amid concerns that the ongoing influx of
Syrian refugees may become a threat to the Kingdom’s national security.

According to a security source, authorities have imposed a new policy
barring the illegal entry of unaccompanied Syrian males between the ages of
18 and 40, turning away “dozens” from the border in the last two weeks.

The new policy comes amid growing concerns in Amman of attempts by
opposition activists and regime agents to infiltrate the growing refugee
community — whose numbers officials place at over 140,000 — to carry out
political or military activities on Jordanian soil.

“There are fears that as the number of rebels and regime loyalists
increases, Jordan may become a new battleground for their conflict,” said
the security source, who preferred to remain unnamed.

Meanwhile, Syrian activists claimed to have become the target of a new
Jordanian security campaign, alleging that seven activists had been arrested
in the border cities of Ramtha and Mafraq in the last two weeks.

“It seems that as tensions between Jordan and the [Syrian] regime increase,
we are no longer wanted guests,” said Abu Ahmed, a member of the Syrian
opposition Local Coordination Committees currently residing in Jordan.

Jordanian officials refused to confirm any new entry policy or arrests of
Syrian activists, stressing only that Jordan retains the right to refuse
entry to any individuals it believes represent a “threat to national
security”.

“It is only natural for a state to protect its security and stability, and
security services have turned away individuals who had suspicious
intentions,” said Minister of State for Media Affairs and Communications and
Government Spokesperson Samih Maaytah.

If there is indeed a new border policy, it has failed to slow the influx of
Syrian refugees, relief agencies said, claiming that the number of Syrians
fleeing to the Kingdom has reached 500 per day.

According to the UN, the ongoing rise in vulnerable Syrians has pushed the
number of registered refugees to over 27,000 and has forced officials to
break ground on a fourth so-called transit facility in the northern region.

The reports of tightened border restrictions come amid rising tensions
between Amman and Damascus, which according to officials have reached
“dangerous levels” after a Syrian fighter pilot fled to Jordan in his MiG-21
fighter jet two weeks ago.

The government’s decision to grant the pilot political asylum has sparked a
Syrian “propaganda campaign” against Jordan, including reports carried by
media outlets loyal to Syrian President Bashar Assad alleging the arrest of
Jordanian “agents” near Homs as part of a growing “Jordanian involvement” in
the year-and-a-half-old conflict.

Despite the rise in tensions, the Kingdom continues to grant refuge to
Syrians fleeing conflict in their homeland, including army deserters, and
provide refugees with access to public healthcare and educational services.

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Sue Lerner - Associate, IMRA