Jordan willing to home German airbase

Jordan yesterday expressed readiness to study the transfer of German troops from the Incirlik Air Base in southern Turkey to an airbase in Zarqa in the east of the kingdom.

“Jordan has close ties with Germany and will consider the request if the kingdom receives it through official channels,” Al-Rai newspaper reported yesterday, citing an unnamed source.

The source said Jordan maintains relations with the various countries of the International Alliance for Combating Terrorism and carries out many joint tasks with various friendly forces in the War on Terror.

Read: Germany signals willingness to take steps against PKK

On Monday, German Defence Minister, Ursula von der Leyen, said the German-Turkish talks on the visit of German MPs to Incirlik Air Base have failed, prompting Germany to re-declare the possibility of transferring its troops to Jordan.

“It is unacceptable that our deputies cannot visit the soldiers,” von der Leyen said.

Turkish Foreign Minister, Mevlut Cavusoglu, said during a joint press conference with his German counterpart, Sigmar Gabriel, in Ankara on Monday that the Incirlik base was still closed to German MPs and suggested instead that the lawmakers visit the Konya airbase until Berlin takes positive steps with respect to Turkish demands.

Turkey demands that Berlin stop the Kurdistan Workers Party’s (PKK) activities in Germany, as well as reject asylum requests from participants in the failed coup attempt in mid-July last year.