Jordan: Dialogue in Syria no longer an option

Dialogue is no longer a solution to ending the violence in Syria and the United Nations' Security Council must step in, Jordan's Prime Minister Fayez Tarawneh said in the Czech capital Prague on Monday.

"It's impossible to resolve the situation in Syria through a dialogue today," Tarawneh said following talks with Czech counterpart Petr Necas.

"But we're still talking about a political solution – (first) stop the bloodshed, then we can find a compromise between the opposition and the Syrian regime," he added, urging the Security Council to intervene, a move currently blocked by Russia and China.

"It is necessary to exert big pressure on the Syrian government," said Tarawneh, who is also Jordan's minister of defense.

He said Jordan had so far received 135,000 refugees from neighboring Syria where more than 17,000 people – including women, children and infants – have been killed during a revolt against the regime of President Bashar al-Assad that erupted in March 2010, according to human rights watchdogs.

He also bemoaned the difficult humanitarian situation as Jordan lacks water and money.

"But we're fulfilling our humanitarian duty towards our brothers," he said.

UN and Arab League Syria envoy Kofi Annan and his successor as UN secretary general, Ban Ki-moon, head for Russia and China on Monday to press the two Security Council doubters to back tougher action against Assad.

However Russia on Monday accused Western powers of using "blackmail" to get its backing for possible UN sanctions against Damascus.

(AFP)