Defected Syrian PM enters Jordan

The  Minister of State for Media Affairs and Communications Samih Maaytah announced that former Syrian Prime Minister Riyad Hijab entered into the Kingdom in the early hours of Wednesday along with family members. Hijab at the time of his defection last week said he was joining the rebels in protest at the "genocide" President Bashar al-Assad is carrying out against his own people, his spokesman said on Monday. "I announce my defection today (Monday) from the regime of killing and terror, and I join the ranks of the revolt," he said in statement read by his spokesman Mohammed al-Otri on Al-Jazeera news channel from Amman. He said his defection comes at a time "when Syria is passing through the most difficult war crimes, genocide, and barbaric killings and massacres against unarmed citizens." Omar Ghalawanji, who became Syria’s caretaker prime minister after Hijab left, held a cabinet meeting on Sunday in a session attended by all ministers, state TV reported. The meeting, footage of which was shown on Syrian TV, appeared to be a response to claims by the opposition Syrian National Council that two ministers had defected along with Hijab. “The meeting ... was attended by all ministers. There is no truth at all in what is being spread about some of the ministers,” Syrian Information Minister Omran Zoabi said.