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AMMAN — Civil Defence Department (CDD) personnel, supported by a Royal Air Force helicopter, on Wednesday rescued two climbers, who were stuck on one of Wadi Rum’s mountains.

The two climbers, who were found at Jabal Rum near the Nabataean temple, were reported to be in fair condition, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported. 

AMMAN—Jordan on Tuesday said it was going ahead with the Red Sea-Dead Sea water conveyance project with or without Israel, which threatened on Tuesday to withdraw from the project until it is staff are allowed to return to the Israeli embassy in Amman.

"We are going ahead with the project with or without Israel," a government official told The Jordan Times on Tuesday.

Israel has reportedly told Jordan that a joint agreement for the construction of a pipeline transferring water from the Red Sea to the Dead Sea will not go ahead until Israel is allowed to reopen its embassy in Amman, Israeli media reports indicated Tuesday.

Citing Israeli officials, the reports said Israel notified Jordan that the water project will not move forward until Ambassador Einat Schlein and her staff are permitted to return to their posts.

The source said that Jordan would not allow the reopening of the Israeli embassy in Amman and the return of its crew until legal action is taken against an Israeli staffer who had killed two Jordanians.

"We are asking for justice and legal steps to address the embassy incident," the official said Tuesday.

The official said that bilateral relations with Israel are important for both countries "and probably more for Israel."

On July 23rd, sixteen-year-old Mohammad Jawawdeh was killed, along with Bashar Hamarneh, a doctor, by an Israel embassy employee at a residential building rented by the Israeli embassy in Amman. The killer, who shot both Jawawdeh and Hamarneh, left Jordan to Israel protected by his diplomatic immunity, a matter which triggered widespread public anger in Jordan. 

On his return to Tel Aviv, the guard was warmly welcomed by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, with the footage of the encounter insulting the sentiments of Jordanians.

"The Israeli PM sacrificed the relationship with Jordan to improve his electrical approval rating," said the official, who preferred not to be named.

Under the first phase, a total of 300 million cubic metres (mcm) of water will be pumped each year. In its following phases, the Red-Dead project will see up to 2 billion cubic metres of seawater transferred from the Red Sea to the Dead Sea annually, according to the Water and Irrigation Ministry.

The Red-Dead project’s main components are a seawater intake structure; an intake pump station; a seawater pipeline; a desalination plant with a capacity of 65-85mcm per year; a desalination brine conveyance pipeline; two lifting pump stations; hydropower plants; and discharge facilities at the Dead Sea.

The seawater will be pumped out from an intake located in the north of the Gulf of Aqaba.

In addition to providing much needed water to Jordan, Palestine and Israel, the project has an ecological dimension as it seeks to stop the continuous diminishing of the Dead Sea, whose water level drops one metre each year, according to the ministry.

AMMAN — His Majesty King Abdullah on Tuesday met with Bahraini King Hamad Bin Isa Al Khalifa in Manama and discussed the bilateral relations between the two countries and the latest regional developments.

During the meeting, which was attended by senior officials from both countries, the two leaders stressed the “deep-rooted” relations between the two kingdoms and keenness to boost them in all fields, a Royal Court statement said. 

They underscored the importance of sustaining coordination between the countries on various issues, especially the regional challenges, which will help enhance the Arab joint action, and serving the Arab nation’s causes.

The talks addressed the crises that the Middle East is witnessing, and finding political solutions that would bring security and stability back to the region, in addition to the regional and international efforts in the war against terrorism.

King Abdullah stressed Jordan’s support to Bahrain against any threats to its security and stability, noting that the security of the Arab Gulf states is considered the main cornerstone for the region’s security and stability.

The Bahraini King stressed his appreciation for His Majesty’s support and his important role in serving the Arab issues and enhancing cooperation among Arab countries, as well as his continuous endeavours to realise peace and stability in the region.

Royal Court Chief Fayez Tarawneh, Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi, King Office Director Jafar Hassan and Jordan’s Ambassador in Bahrain Mohammed Ali Suraj attended the meeting. 

AMMAN — Guinean President Alpha Conde on Tuesday visited the Royal Military College where he was briefed by commander Brig. Gen. Salameh Othman on the institution’s tasks and duties.

The president then watched a movie highlighting the development and history of the college, and its role in preparing officers of the Jordan Armed Forces-Arab Army (JAF) and other armies, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

Conde also visited the King Abdullah II Design and Development Bureau (KADDB), where he was received by KADDB Director General Brig. Gen. Mohammad Habahbeh who delivered a presentation on the role of the centre in designing and developing equipment before transferring them to companies for production according to each company’s specialisation, Petra reported. 

The Guinean president had a firsthand look at a 9-millimetre pistol and a 5.56-calibre offensive rifle, as well as other projects to modify weapons used by JAF. 

At the end of the visit, he voiced his admiration of the technological level achieved by the centre and its affiliated companies, highlighting the importance of developing cooperation in the field of defence industries. 

The president also visited the Royal Police Academy and listened to a briefing on its tasks and duties.

The academy commander, Col. Mikhled Zu’bi, said the academy undertakes the role of bolstering skills of public security personnel by engaging them in various police and security courses to educate them on police sciences that positively reflect on the progress of their work.

He added that the academy has turned into a central destination for police sciences students from Arab and foreign countries as it offers Masters and PhD degrees in police, security and legal majors in cooperation with Mutah University.

Conde, who is currently on an official visit to the Kingdom, commended the progress achieved by Jordan in the police and security fields, and voiced hope for joint cooperation and exchange of relevant expertise.

He also visited the Ministry of Agriculture where he had a look at the Kingdom’s experiments in agriculture.

Agriculture Minister Khalid Hniefat briefed Conde on the status of agriculture in Jordan and the phases of its development, in addition to the Jordanian experiment in administrating water resources in agriculture. 

AMMAN — A medical training on diabetes on Tuesday was held at the King Hussein Medical Centre, under the patronage of HRH Princess Muna, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

Organised by the Department of Internal Medicine, Endocrinology and Diabetes in Royal Medical Services in cooperation with the British Royal College of Physicians / London (RCP), the two-day course came on the occasion of the World Diabetes Day, which is marked on November 14 each year.

Royal Medical Services (RMS) Director General Maj. Gen. Muin Habashneh said that the RMS cooperates with all relevant organisations in the health sector to combat diabetes, citing the “outstanding results” in the scientific and training arenas achieved in cooperation with the RCP.

Health Minister Mahmoud Sheyyab called for enhancing the efforts to prevent chronic diseases in general and diabetes in particular, and to promote a healthy lifestyle that contributes to reducing the spread of these illnesses. 

Sheyyab said that numbers of diabetic patients are increasing, posing a threat to society. He referred to statistics of the World Health Organisation, which showed that there are currently 422 million diabetic adults worldwide.

RCP’s International Medical Director Ali Jawad praised the cooperation between the RCP and RMS, which witnessed the exchange of scientific expertise and the training of doctors and workers in the Jordanian health sector.

At the end of the ceremony, HRH Princess Muna honoured the RCP representative as well as representatives of companies sponsoring the scientific course.

AMMAN — State Minister for Legal Affairs Bisher Khasawneh on Tuesday reiterated the Kingdom’s commitment towards human rights and basic freedoms.

“The Kingdom also welcomes all the local and international organisations’ remarks regarding the status of human rights and takes them seriously,” Khasawneh said. 

Khasawneh, who was deputising for Prime Minister Hani Mulki, made the pledges during a meeting that included members of the legislative, legal and implementing government agencies, as well as members of the governmental team for human rights formed back in 2014.

The event was organised by the office of Basel Tarawneh, the government coordinator for human rights.  

Tarawneh said that the meeting also aimed to discuss the recommendations made by the National Centre for Human Rights (NCHR) report, which was presented last month to His Majesty King Abdullah, relevant government institutes, as well as Parliament.

“My office will collect all the recommendations based on the NCHR’s comments and will include them into a report to be prepared soon,” Tarawneh told the gathering at the Royal Cultural Centre.  

He emphasised that the Kingdom’s achievements in regards to human rights is improving “thanks to the strong political will represented by His Majesty King Abdullah”.

Meanwhile, Second Deputy Speaker at the Lower House MP Suleiman Zaben and senator and former justice minister, Bassam Talhouni, both pledged to carefully examine the NCHR comments and “attempt to adopt its recommendations”.

“We should protect the Jordanian state by ensuring the protection of the rights and freedoms of its citizens,” Zaben said.

Talhouni added: “We are taking the NCHR’s report seriously and will look into ways of ensuring that its comments will be adopted by the relevant authorities.”

But Jordanian National Commission for Women Secretary General Salam Nims had a different opinion regarding the status of human rights in Jordan.

“I believe that public freedoms are declining and we are unable to perform many of our activities because the civil society is sometimes being banned from holding activities by the government,” Nims told the gathering.

Banning activities for the civil society, Nims continued, “basically means restricting activities on the women’s movement in Jordan as well”.

AMMAN — The UN, Geneva Peacebuilding Platform, Rotary International and the Jordan’s permanent mission to the UN on Tuesday honoured Generations for Peace (GFP) for its “distinguished” efforts at all levels.

GFP founder and Chairman HRH Prince Feisal, along with high ranking representatives of diplomatic missions, attended the ceremony that was held on the sidelines of the Geneva Peace Week 2017, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

At a recent conference titled “Our journey in Generations for Peace: from passion to influence, lessons learnt from the field”, GFP reviewed its experience in sustainable conflicts transformation through enhancing young leadership, empowering communities and promoting the values of tolerance and responsible citizenship. 

GFP President Mohanned Arabiyat highlighted the importance of avoiding terrorism by engaging the youth and promoting role models who have positive effects.

At the opening session of the Rotary Day for International Peace in the UN, he shed light on the roots of GFP and the Kingdom’s “legacy” in peace-building, Petra added. 

Generations for Peace is a leading global non-profit peace-building organisation founded by Prince Feisal and Sarah Kabbani in 2007.

Dedicated to sustainable conflict transformation at the grassroots, Generations for Peace empowers volunteer leaders of youth to promote active tolerance and responsible citizenship in communities experiencing different forms of conflict and violence, according to GFP website.

AMMAN — The Labour Ministry arrested 100 illegal guest workers and issued fines against their employers over the last two days, as part of the ministry’s crackdown campaign, the ministry’s spokesperson, Mohammad Khatib, said on Tuesday. 

The ministry’s inspectors have been working round-the-clock on Sunday and Monday to detect and deport guest labourers working without work permits in jobs reserved for Jordanians, Khatib told The Jordan Times over the phone. 

The inspection campaign comes in line with the ministry’s efforts to regulate the national labour market in accordance with the National Programme for Employment (2017-2021) launched in September.

The programme aims to replace guest workers with Jordanians in the sectors of industry, tourism, agriculture, construction, services and power, through providing training programmes followed by employment opportunities, Khatib explained. 

The ministry allocated JD100 million for the employment and empowerment strategy, which covers part of the trainees’ wages, social security, transportation and health insurance fees to encourage the private sector in employing Jordanians, he added.

Minister of Labour Ali Ghezawi announced earlier this month that there are more than 800,000 guest workers without work permits in the Kingdom.

During the first nine months of 2017, the ministry caught 6,000 illegal migrant workers during 40,000 inspections to workplaces, Khatib said. 

Khatib said that around 350,000 guest workers are registered and hold work permits. 

AMMAN — Minister of Planning and International Cooperation Imad Fakhoury on Tuesday met with a UN delegation headed by Natalia Kanem, under secretary general of the UN/executive director of the UN Population Fund (UNFPA) and an accompanying delegation, a Planning Ministry statement said.

Fakhoury briefed the delegation on the challenges facing Jordan due to the successive regional crises, which affected the Kingdom’s economic growth, and put pressure on its infrastructure and services such as health, education and transportation.

The minister and the delegation discussed UNFPA Country Programme in Jordan for 2018-2022 and its contribution to supporting the national development plans and achieving the sustainable development goals in accordance with the Jordan Document 2025 and the government’s executive programmes.

Regarding population policies, Fakhoury highlighted the efforts of the government in preparing the demographic projections and coming up with means to transform these population challenges into sustainable development opportunities, the statement added.

“Despite the huge challenges Jordan is facing, it continues implementing its reform and development plans and is currently preparing a plan for stimulating the economic growth in the next five years”, Fakhoury said.

The minister pointed out that the Kingdom is currently conducting the income and expenditure survey of Jordanian families in cooperation with the World Bank.

The survey, which will be finalised in August, will provide accurate figures on poverty and will contribute to improving the implementation of the strategy to combat poverty and social exclusion, the minister said.

For her part, Kanem stressed UNFPA’s commitment to supporting Jordan at various levels, namely by achieving the sustainable development goal 10, which is related to youth and reproductive health.

She commended the Jordanian development model, the reform path, and Jordan’s resilience in dealing with the refugees, according to the statement.      

AMMAN — The Partnership on Research and Innovation in the Mediterranean Area (PRIMA) agreement was recently signed between Jordan and the EU, under the patronage of HRH Prince Hassan and HRH Princess Sumaya, a statement by the Princess Sumaya University for Technology (PSUT) said.

The agreement was signed by the Secretary General of the Higher Council for Science and Technology Khaled El Shuraydeh and the Director General for Research and Innovation of the European Commission Maria Cristina Russo during the closing ceremony of the World Science Forum at the Dead Sea on November 10.

Over the last years, growing awareness of the challenges related to agro-food systems and water resources in the Mediterranean area has induced EU member states and Southern and Eastern Mediterranean Countries to work together on several common research initiatives, the statement said.

These initiatives have achieved important results, allowing the creation of strong networks of leading scientists with a diverse background from both shores of the Mediterranean, and reinforcing mutual trust among participating countries.

The 10-year PRIMA agreement has been initiated to create new research and innovation approaches to improve water availability and sustainable agriculture production in a region heavily distressed by climate change, urbanisation and population growth, the statement read, noting that the partnership is based on the three principles of co-funding, co-decision and co-ownership.

Currently, there are 19 countries participating in the bi-regional programme of PRIMA; 11 EU member states and 8 MPCs, and more participants from both sides are expected to join as the initiative grows over time.

The partnership will be financed through a combination of funding which stands at 274 million euros from participating countries matched by 220 million euro from the EU through Horizon 2020 research and innovation funding programme (2014-2020), according to the statement.

Jordan has spearheaded the initiative in cooperation with Italy since its inception in 2012 and has co-chaired PRIMA general assembly. The Kingdom has also shown full commitment to the partnership and will continue to support and actively participate in its activities, Jordanian officials said. 

The signing ceremony was attended by Margus Rava ambassador of the Republic of Estonia and Carlos Moedas, the European Commissioner for Science, Research and Innovation, the statement concluded.