Amman, Rajab 27, 1435, May 26, 2014, SPA -- The Jordanian Government has declared the Syrian Ambassador, Bahjat Suleiman, as persona non grata and demanded that he leaves Jordan within 24 hours, Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Sabah Al Rafei said on Monday. Al Rafei said that the ministry, upon orders from the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriate Affairs, handed over to the Syrian Embassy in Amman a letter from the government, declaring the envoy as a persona non grata and requesting him to leave Jordan within 24 hours. The government took the decision after the envoy continued his insults and un-friendly statements against Jordan, Jordanian political figures, national institutions and citizens, despite repeated warnings by the government not to indulge in and desist from making such provocative statements, the spokesperson said. "Mr. Suleiman used Jordan as a platform to cast doubt on Jordan's stances and directed baseless accusations on more than one occasion and through such statements," the spokesperson said, noting that he used Jordanian territories to direct insults against Arab and neighboring countries and their leadership, with whom Jordan has strong ties. These insults, which targeted Jordan and Arab countries, were a flagrant violation of all diplomatic norms and charters, she said, stressing that Jordan totally rejects such acts. The envoy had not observed the simplest diplomatic norms in a country that is hosting hundreds of thousands of Syrian refugees. --SPA 22:35 LOCAL TIME 19:35 GMT www.spa.gov.sa/w