Syria expel Jordan's charge d'affaire

In retaliation for a similar move, the Syrian Foreign Ministry on Monday declared the Jordanian charge d'affaire in Damascus as persona non grata, according to the official SANA news agency. In a statement, the ministry said its move was a retaliation for the Jordanian government's "unwarranted" and "strange" decision to expel the Syrian ambassador in Amman. SANA did not give the name of the Jordanian diplomat. The Jordanian decision doesn't reflect the fraternal relations between both peoples of Syria and Jordan, the ministry said. Earlier Monday, Jordan declared Syrian ambassador Bahjat Suleiman as persona non grata and asked him to leave within 24 hours. Jordanian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Sabah Rafi was quoted by the official Petra news agency as saying that Amman's decision was made in response to Suleiman's "repeated abuses" against Jordan and its political leaders and institutions through his personal meetings, remarks to media and posts on social websites despite repeated warnings. Jordan was the latest to expel Syrian envoys on its territories, following the lead of most Arab and Western countries. The Jordanian decision came just days ahead of the planned balloting for the Syrian presidential elections. Syrian voters overseas are scheduled to cast their ballots on May 28; those inside the war-torn country are to vote on June 3.