King meets heads of Senate permanent committees

AMMAN — His Majesty King Abdullah on Wednesday met at Al Husseiniya Palace with heads of the Senate’s permanent committees, and stressed the importance of their experience as national figures in improving legislation and supporting modernisation tracks.

King Abdullah commended the Senate’s cooperation with the House of Representatives and the government to guarantee the success of the economic, administrative and political modernisation tracks, urging coordination with the government to follow up on the commitment of ministries and institutions to implementation, according to a Royal Court statement.

His Majesty called for continuously reaching out to the public and the media to deliver messages clearly to Jordanians.

Turning to regional developments, the King reaffirmed Jordan’s unwavering position towards the Palestinian cause, highlighting that all the efforts that the Kingdom undertakes and the meetings it takes part in are aimed at supporting the Palestinians, bringing calm to the Palestinian Territories, and safeguarding Islamic and Christian holy sites in Jerusalem.

First Deputy President of the Senate Samir Rifai said the chamber’s permanent committees work in light of the reform vision of His Majesty, reaffirming the importance the King’s keenness to follow up on the implementation of modernisation plans.

Rifai also highlighted Jordan’s role in working towards calm in the Palestinian Territories.

For their part, heads of the permanent committees at the Senate gave an overview of their current mandates and presented a number of suggestions to develop the various sectors and improve services.

They underscored the importance of the modernisation tracks and ensuring their implementation, noting the significance of empowering women and young people, and raising their political awareness to ensure active engagement in political modernisation.

They also called for promoting vocational training and education to keep up with labour market demand, stressing their commitment to keeping channels of communication open with the public to understand their needs and concerns.

The attendees spoke about current efforts to amend the Senate’s internal rules of procedure to develop performance in coordination with the House of Representatives, stressing the importance of working in tandem with other branches of authority.

They also commended His Majesty’s approach to foreign policy and steadfast position in defending Arab causes, foremost of which is the Palestinian cause.

The senators condemned the recent actions of an Israeli minister, describing them as a flagrant violation of international law and the 1994 Peace Treaty and stressing the need to counter such extremist ideologies and bolster Jordan’s national front.

They expressed support for the King’s efforts in safeguarding Islamic and Christian holy sites in Jerusalem, under the Hashemite Custodianship.

Royal Hashemite Court Chief Yousef Issawi and Director of the Office of His Majesty Jafar Hassan attended the meeting.