Jordan FM Says Syrian Defectors Illegally Entered Kingdom

Jordan's foreign minister has said dozens of Syrian army defectors have "illegally" entered the neighboring kingdom, but his assertions were denied by the government spokesman in comments published on Tuesday.

"Some Syrians, including former members of the armed forces, have entered Jordan illegally ... not through border posts," Nasser Judeh said in an interview with the state-run Jordan Television on Monday night.

"They sought refuge in Jordan, but they are only dozens. There are no camps designed to host Syrian refugees."

Judeh said Jordan "is not attracting Syrian refugees, but we are ready for any emergency."

But government spokesman Rakan Majali told the government-owned Al-Rai Arabic daily that "there are no Syrian army defectors in Jordan."

"Any talk that there are units of Syrian army defectors in the kingdom is not true," he said.

Attacks on Syrian forces by defecting troops have been growing in the country, where a crackdown on anti-regime protests have killed 3,500 people since mid-March, according to the United Nations.