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AMMAN — US lawmakers said their meetings with His Majesty King Abdullah over the past two days were insightful and important, providing a clear picture of the conditions in the Middle East.

In interviews with the Jordan News Agency, Petra, in Washington, DC, following their meetings with King Abdullah, the legislators said Jordan has earned everyone’s respect and support at Capitol Hill, be they Republicans or Democrats.

“We have senators of both parties, and across the political spectrum, and we’re all coming to help Jordan,” said Senator Patrick Leahy of Vermont, the ranking Democrat on the Senate Committee on Appropriations.

It is worthwhile to meet with His Majesty when he visits Washington, DC, Senator Leahy added.

“For someone who sits back here, as much as we study [the region], it is impossible to fully understand it,” he noted.

Senator Lindsey Graham (R-South Carolina), a member of the Senate Committee on Appropriations, said: “Republicans and Democrats are having a hard time reaching an [agreement] on almost anything, except Jordan.”

The King represents calmness and a sense of reason throughout the Middle East, Senator Graham added.

“The role of Jordan is really indispensable. It’s a country that everyone respects,” he said.

For his part, Representative Mac Thornberry (R-Texas), chair of the Armed Services Committee at the US House of Representatives, said it is important for the US to build on its partnership with Jordan in the service of mutual interests.

“It is incredibly helpful for members of Congress in the US, and especially of the Armed Services Committee, to have His Majesty’s insights on the region… . He has great insight and great experience, and we need to hear that,” Representative Thornberry added.

Representative Kay Granger (R-Texas), chair of the House Appropriations Defence Subcommittee, said the King is a “world figure that really is a man of peace, and he’s smart enough to get things done for his country and other countries. I really look up to him, and over the years — 10 years — that we’ve been meeting, his opinion is very important”.

Representative Granger also stressed the US’ keenness to support and help Jordan, in order to enable it to deal with the refugee issue.

 Jordan is taking in refugees on behalf of the whole world, “and so we want to be helpful with that issue, as well as many others that Jordan is coming to talk to us about”, she added.

Representative Jeff Fortenberry (R-Nebraska), a member of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programmes, said Jordan stands out “in terms of leadership and presence, in terms of vision, the ability to achieve peace and being realistic about the difficulties along the way”.

“The King presents… such clarity and wisdom in his interactions,” Representative Fortenberry added, stressing the “deeply valued relationship” with Jordan, and the “abiding respect” for the Jordanian people.

Representative Ted Poe (R-Texas), a member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee and chair of the Subcommittee on Terrorism, Non-proliferation, and Trade, said: “Jordan is in a troubled neighbourhood. There is tension and conflict all around Jordan.

“The US [is] a friend of Jordan; we need to know exactly how Jordan feels about what’s taking place, how they’re handling the turmoil in the region, and also what the US can do to stabilise the region and also help Jordan in [the] peace process.”

“I think it’s imperative that US continue to help Jordan, not only politically, but certainly militarily in areas that we can agree on where Jordan needs assistance,” the lawmaker continued.

Senator Bob Corker (R-Tennessee), chair of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, said the US appreciates the role that His Majesty plays “in helping stabilise a very unstable region”, noting that whenever the King holds meetings at Congress, discussions address “the great relationship we have between our countries”.

“I have personally visited the refugee camps in Jordan, and I have seen how the people of Jordan themselves have welcomed these refugees into their own homes [and] the burden that is placed on water supplies and schools and healthcare,” Senator Corker added.

AMMAN — His Majesty King Abdullah on Wednesday stressed that Jordan — as chair of the current Arab summit, the historical Hashemite custodian of Muslim and Christian holy sites in Jerusalem and the closest to Palestinians — will continue exerting efforts with all stakeholders to push forward the peace process.

In a letter sent to Fodé Seck, chairman of the UN Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People, His Majesty reiterated that the Kingdom will also continue supporting Palestinians in realising their aspirations, safeguarding holy sites in Jerusalem and stopping any attempts to alter the historical and legal status quo in the city. 

King Abdullah, in the letter sent to Seck on the occasion of the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People, said that Arab leaders, at their recent summit held in Jordan, renewed  their stand that peace is a strategic option for the nation, according to a Royal Court statement.

The King added that the summit sent a message of peace that has been awaiting Israel to show a sincere intention towards achieving permanent, just and comprehensive peace according to the two-state solution and the Arab Peace Initiative.

His Majesty stressed that despite the so many challenges witnessed this year and the stalemated peace talks, it is worth pointing out to the US administration’s commitment to pushing forward the peace process and the Palestinian reconciliation, which is important to enhance Palestinians’ unity. 

King Abdullah also commended the UN committee’s procedures, including the conferences it organised to enable the Palestinian people to practise their rights and support its just cause.

AMMAN — Jordan will respond to any Israeli move to send an ambassador to Amman when it is official, an official source said on Wednesday.

Asked to comment on news reports Wednesday claiming that Israel plans to appoint a new ambassador to Jordan, the source said: "We do not comment on reports quoting [unnamed] diplomatic sources. When we receive anything official, we will deal with it”.

In a report Wednesday, Reuters quoted an anonymous Israeli diplomatic source as saying that Tel Aviv plans to appoint a new ambassador to Jordan in a bid to "calm Amman's anger over the current envoy's handling of a shooting by an embassy guard in July”.

Speaking on condition of anonymity, the Israeli source told Reuters that Tel Aviv's current envoy to Amman, Einat Schlein, who, along with the guard, was repatriated a day after the shooting incident, would not return to Jordan.

“The Jordanians don’t want her back, and this has been a big obstacle in patching things up,” the source said. “We’re looking for a replacement.”
Emmanuel Nahshon, spokesman for Israel’s foreign ministry, was quoted as saying: “We are working on a solution that will bring the relations back on track.”

Jordan has recently sent a letter to Israel stating that it would not allow the return of the Israeli mission until it receives guarantees of a serious investigation into the case, stressing that Jordan wants proper legal action to be taken against the Israeli embassy guard first.A 16-year-old Jordanian, Mohammad Jawawdeh, was killed during the shooting in a residential building in Rabieh neighbourhood near the Israeli embassy late July. A Jordanian doctor, who owned the building, was also shot during the incident and died later that night. 

Jordan interrogated the Israeli embassy guard before allowing him to return to Tel Aviv after the incident, protected by his diplomatic immunity.

AMMAN — Jordan's housing sector has been deteriorating since 2014, with trade value dropping by 30 per cent in the last three years, a sector leader has said.

According to studies, Jordanians need 60,000 housing units annually, but so far in 2017, only 32,000 have been sold, according to Jordan Housing Developers Association (JHDA).

The number of empty apartments amounts to “thousands” accumulating over the past years, JHDA President Zuheir Omari told The Jordan Times on Wednesday. There are no official statistics to indicate the exact figure, he noted.

The soaring prices of land plots, construction costs and registration fees are the reasons behind the recession, Omari said.

The president called on the government to reduce the ownership transfer fees from 9 per cent, which is “the highest in the region”, down to 5 per cent, or sustaining the exemption on the first 150sqm from registration fees.

According to a previous government decision, the exemptions are scheduled to be cancelled today (November 30), said Omari.

The sector leader called on the government to even extend the exemption to include all sizes to "rescue" the sector, underlining the very low demand on empty units that exceed 180sqm.

“Many housing firms are out of business because of the low demand. Failing to support the sector will have negative consequences on the national economy,” he said.

He noted that the sector feeds at least 40 other industries that are linked to construction, while creating thousands of direct and indirect job opportunities. 

The regulations have to consider the cost, price of land and the purchasing power of buyers, said Omari.

Most Jordanians seek to buy apartments with an area of 120sqm or less, while around 30 per cent buy 150sqm apartments obviously for price matters, according to JHDA figures.

The syndicate serves as an umbrella for more than 3,300 real-estate member companies, and each, under the law, must be 51 per cent owned by a Jordanian. 

For foreign buyers of housing units, the majority are Iraqis, British, Saudi Arabians and Syrians.

“The turnout of non-Jordanian buyers has not changed over the past few years, making up 10 per cent of the total number of buyers”, said Omari 

Hesham Al Ali, an executive at a construction company, said business is down by around 20 per cent this year when compared to last year.

“We used to rely a lot on selling apartments to expatriates and sales were usually high in Ramadan and the period after that as many of them came for visiting families,” Al Ali told The Jordan Times on Wednesday.

“Prices of apartments increased slightly due to an increase in prices of steel and cement and other costs and maybe this is another reason why sales are lower. I believe extending the exemptions on apartments is crucial to support the sector and eventually those who work in this field. With no exemptions, buyers might be reluctant,” he added

Economic expert Wajdi Makhamreh said the main reason behind the slow business in the real estate sector is the general geo-political situation that the region has been going through, especially during the past four years.

He added that all of the economic sectors have faced difficulties since the beginning of the regional turmoil and many real estate investors were afraid to invest, citing a state of uncertainty.

Agreeing with Omari, the pundit said the government has to support the sector by offering incentives to companies, simplifying the regulations, and reducing taxes.

He stressed the importance of helping ailing companies and giving them grace periods to rectify their situations.

AMMAN — Jordan and Iraq have to work out the best ways to cooperate with regards to the reconstruction and development projects in Iraq, Iraqi Ambassador in Amman Safia Al Souhail said on Wednesday.

The diplomat made the remarks during a consultation meeting that attracted the participation of Jordanian Construction Contractors Association President Wael Toukan and president of the Iraqi Contractors Union Ali Fakher, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported. 

Iraq's reconstruction, a process expected to kick off after the Iraqi forces eliminate the remnants of terrorist groups, includes infrastructure projects and rehabilitation of Iraqi workforce in jobs needed in the Iraqi labour market, the Iraqi side said.

Both sides agreed to continue talks in Baghdad earlier next year when a Jordanian economic delegation is scheduled to visit the neighbouring country. 

AMMAN — Government Coordinator for Human Rights Basel Tarawneh said that the year 2018 will witness more advancement in the human rights fields in Jordan, following pledges by the government to implement several of the international conventions signed over the years.

“Everyone will be part of this process. The government and the civil society will work hand in hand to ensure the implementation of human rights conventions,” Tarawneh said.

His remarks were made during a meeting with students of the University of Jordan held to highlight the Kingdom’s efforts in the field of human rights.

“My office was established almost four years as a sign of the government’s commitment to respecting the human rights of its citizens, as well as the international conventions,” Tarawneh told an audience of over 150 students.

He added: “It is the duty of this office and the team working with [me] to constantly meet with university students to raise their awareness about human rights concepts and what the government is doing to ensure the rights of its citizens.”

Also speaking during the meeting was Suhair Sweiss from the Ministry of Political and Parliamentary Affairs. She said that her ministry “was one of the first governmental entities in Jordan to establish a human rights unit to spread human rights awareness among society”.

“We are constantly monitoring the human rights situation in Jordan and we are collaborating with Tarawneh’s office and other local organisations working on human rights,” Sweiss said.

Criminal Prosecutor for the Transparency Office at the Public Security Department Lt. Col. Sameh Hadban also highlighted his office’s role in ensuring “proper police conduct and follow up on any cases of torture or abuse”.

“My office has been working tirelessly to follow up on complaints made by citizens of any alleged police misconduct or brutality and we have referred several police officers to the police court on such allegations,” Hadban told the audience.

During the 90-minute meeting, the students exchanged thoughts, ideas as well as questions on human rights in Jordan.

AMMAN — The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) on Tuesday launched its strategy to address the needs of adolescent girls in the Whole of Syria (WoS), with the aim of strengthening and expanding the existing programmes targeting the needs of Syrian refugee girls. 

The strategy, launched in Amman, builds on the findings and consultations held by the Gender-Based Violence (GBV) Area of Responsibility (AoR) and the Reproductive Health (RH) working groups of the WoS, according to the strategy report. 

Nadine Cornier, head of office and humanitarian adviser at UNFPA, presented the four primary objectives of the strategy, derived from a consultation held in November 2011 by the Coalition for Adolescent Girls. 

“Our first objective is to generate knowledge, data and evidence on the needs of adolescent girls to inform programme design,  track progress and document lessons,” said Cornier, stressing that “globally, most humanitarian funding, programming and policy strategies do not target adolescent girls specifically, but rather they are grouped with women or children”.

“Promoting holistic adolescent-friendly RH and specialised GBV services to address the needs of adolescent girls” is the second of the objectives, established after several consultations with service providers revealed an urgent need to address the attitude of service providers towards adolescent girls. 

“The third objective is to increase adolescent girls’ access to appropriate reproductive health services, GBV specialised services and empowerment activities — while the fourth is to engage with other actors to ensure that needs and considerations of adolescent girls are part of the response,” Cornier continued. 

“Even in the current context, Syrian adolescent girls are resourceful and resilient, so instead of seeing them as victims, we shall start seeing them as people who need support but can still support themselves, and we shall give them a voice,” the official expressed. 

During the launching event, UNFPA Syria regional humanitarian coordinator, Daniel Baker, noted that the strategy is being launched within the framework of the 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence campaign, which kicked off on November 25.

“When the resistance of a family collapses in a context of conflict, they look at the marriage of their young daughters as a way to protect them and release the family of the economic burden without realising that they will end up being abused and suffer from early pregnancy,” the official pointed out, expressing his hopes for the strategy “to bring partners together and bring back hope for these girls”.

For his part, Deputy Regional Director of UNFPA Karen Dadyryan, told The Jordan Times that “at the regional level, UNFPA is addressing its partners in the civil society to delay the marriage of young girls”, noting that “the objective is to end GBV and other forms of harmful practices towards young girls  such as female genital mutilation (FGM) by 2030”.

The RH and GBV and Youth coordination bodies of the WoS in Damascus, Amman and Gaziantep will lead the implementation of the strategy, and consultations will be held by an adolescent girl steering group to discuss ongoing efforts and preview future plans for implementation. 

AMMAN — Homemade soaps, pastries, handmade instruments and, most importantly, olive oil, are some of the products on display at the National Olive Festival and Rural Products’ Exhibition, where almost 300 farmers, associations, production companies and institutions gathered to showcase their products.

Held under the theme “From the hands of the farmer to the consumer”, the 18th edition of the festival, which will last for four days, was inaugurated on Wednesday.

“The goal of this festival is to establish a bridge between the producers and the consumers,” Nizar Haddad, director general of the National Centre for Agricultural Research and Extension, told The Jordan Times at the inauguration ceremony.

The director general said that the institutions participating in the festival brought their products from all areas across the country to be displayed to the buyers of Amman.

“This is an event that farmers are waiting for every year because they make most of their income directly through this market,” Haddad said.

The event also encourages consumers to buy their products directly from the producers, Fayyad Alzyoud, chairman of the Jordan Olive Producers and Exporters Association (JOPEA), told The Jordan Times, adding “this kind of exhibitions gives consumers, householders and professional chefs a chance to find high quality products”. 

Producers of olive oil are also presenting their products at the festival.
Jordan is the fourth producer of olive oil among Arab countries and the eighth at the global level. Olive trees account for 34 per cent of the cultivated area in the Kingdom, generating JD120 million per year for the national economy.

 “We are fully satisfied with the production of oil and olive fruits in Jordan,” Haddad said.

According to the JOPEA chairman, the association’s products are exported to over 50 countries around the world, from Japan to the US.

This year’s edition witnessed the attendance of international organisations such as the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), the German Agency for International Development, the International Fund for Agricultural Development, the International Olive Council (OIC) and the Japanese International Cooperation Agency. 

FAO is supporting several stands of women producers during the festival, Wafaa Alramadneh, programme officer at the UN Agency, told The Jordan Times. 

“Supporting those women to be able to produce with better quality, diversity and helping them meet the demands of the market is the goal of our initiative,” she said. 

“For those small producers, the exhibition is a chance to enter the small market, where the competition is very hard,” Alramadneh continued, noting that, with the ongoing crises in neighbouring countries, competition has increased in the internal market. 

FAO provides training and capacity building to women, enabling them to enter the market and adding value to their products, the programme officer said. 

In this way, they can compete with other producers, either small or big. “When small producers come together, acting as one body and speaking the same language, they produce the same product with better quality,” Alramadneh said. 

AMMAN — Construction on the first and second phases of a JD76-million project to upgrade wastewater services in Naour District and adjacent towns began on Wednesday, according to government officials.

Under the project’s first two phases, over 10,000 people will be linked to the wastewater network, thus ending reliance on cesspits which often overflow, causing health and environmental dangers, the officials said.

Minister of Water and Irrigation Hazem El Nasser said in a statement e-mailed to The Jordan Times that the project is funded by a loan from the Export-Import Bank of Korea (Korea Eximbank) and a grant from the US government.

“This vital project seeks to end the suffering of the residents of Naour and adjacent towns by linking their households to the sewage network…,” El Nasser said in the statement.

The project will improve services and infrastructure in several parts of western Amman, protecting surface and ground water from pollution which may be caused by overflowing cesspits and encouraging the cultivation of fodder crops, El Nasser highlighted.

Wastewater carriers and household sewage pipelines will be installed under the project, which will also entail the expansion and renovation of Wadi Al Sir’s wastewater treatment plant.

Ministry’s Spokesperson Omar Salameh said that the existing Naour wastewater treatment plant will be dismantled, while Wadi Al Sir wastewater treatment plant will be rehabilitated to receive and treat additional amounts of wastewater at a cost of $48.5 million in loan from the Korea Eximbank.

The plant in Wadi Al Sir will be renovated to treat 17,000 cubic metres of wastewater per day, Salameh said, noting that the entire plan will receive and treat wastewater from all households, which will be linked to the sewage network under the ongoing project.

“The project’s first and second phases are expected to be completed in around 48 months,” Salameh told The Jordan Times.

He underlined that the project is one of the many ventures listed in the ministry’s $930 million strategy to increase the households’ connectivity to the wastewater network in Amman and Zarqa, raising the connectivity from the current 80 per cent to 90 per cent by the year 2025.

The strategy entails the implementation of 21 projects, including the construction of new wastewater treatment plants, the expansion and refurbishment of existing plants, and the installation of new sewage networks.

With these projects, the Kingdom will increase the amount of treated wastewater from the present 115 million cubic metres per year, to 250 million cubic metres by 2025, according to the ministry.

The treated wastewater will increasingly substitute the use of fresh water for industrial purposes, as well as the irrigation of certain cultivations in the Jordan Valley and south of Amman.

AMMAN — Deputising for His Majesty King Abdullah, HRH Prince Feisal on Wednesday attended a ceremony held by the Ministry of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs to mark Prophet Mohammad’s birthday, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported. 

During the ceremony, held at the Islamic Centre of King Abdullah II Mosques, Awqaf Minister Wael Arabiyat said Prophet Mohammad called for promoting the values of peace and tolerance and denouncing all forms of extremism and radicalism.

He added that “the first word of Koran was iqraa [read], which means that all aspect of Islam are based on knowledge that leads its followers to good deeds”.

The Awqaf minister stressed that terrorists seek to destroy such values inherent in Islam and Christianity, through committing crimes in the name of religion. 

Arabyiat highlighted His Majesty’s role in defending Al Aqsa Mosque, Al Haram Al Sharif in Jerusalem and in supporting the Jerusalemites’ resilience. 

The minister announced that the Awqaf council approved the establishment of a school to be funded by endowment worth JD1 million in Amman, noting that after finishing the schools the ministry will give it to the Education Ministry.

The ceremony included Islamic songs performed by the ministry’s Falah band.

Lower House Speaker Atef Tarawneh, Royal Court Chief Fayez Tarawneh, Grand Mufti Mohammad Khalaileh, the Chief Islamic Justice Abdul Karim Khasawneh and several ministers, senators, deputies and senior officials attended the ceremony.

On the occasion of the Prophet’s birthday, King Abdullah and the Crown Prince received cables of congratulations from leaders of Arab and Muslim countries and senior officials.

The Prophet’s birthday, marked on Rabi I 12 on the Islamic lunar calendar, 570AD Gregorian calendar.