Jordanian King Abdullah II warned that sectarian strife in Syria will have devastating consequences.

Jordanian King Abdullah II warned that sectarian strife in Syria will have devastating consequences.

"A divided Syria means an open-ended conflict that would undermine the stability of the region and the future of its people for generations to come," the king, whose country is home to around 550,000 Syrian refugees, told London-based Asharq Alawsat Arabic daily.

"Dividing Syria is not in anyone's interest and tampering with Syria's unity is a recipe for destruction," he said.

The Jordanian monarch also warned against exporting the conflict to the wider region, saying that "fanning the fire of sectarianism in the Arab and Islamic worlds will have devastating consequences for generations to come and on the entire world."

"The sum of all fears is that the Syrian conflict could expand into a sedition between the region's Sunnis and Shiites."

"We cannot remain silent over attempts to tamper with the destiny of the region and its peoples by exploiting religion and religious schools for politics and use them as a means to divide people," he stressed, insisting on the need for a political solution that includes all sides in Syria.

The king said hosting more than half a million Syrian refugees in Jordan has placed the country "at the core" of the crisis.

"What I fear is finding ourselves in a difficult situation where, God forbid, we cannot provide relief to our brothers and sisters the Syrian refugees seeking a safe haven in Jordan," the daily quoted King Abdullah as saying in remarks published on Wednesday.