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AMMAN — His Majesty King Abdullah on Sunday stressed the importance of improving the services offered to citizens in Amman through a plan that takes into consideration the expected future developments and service requirements.

During a visit to the Greater Amman Municipality (GAM) headquarters, His Majesty urged municipal planners to focus on the comprehensive and organisational aspects when drawing up projects targetting the capital’s residents, according to a Royal Court statement.

The population increase in Amman constitutes a challenge that requires the cooperation of all, as it is the cause of traffic jams in the summer when expatriates and tourists flock to the city, the King said.

The Monarch called for extending service plans towards east Amman areas, and improving the quality of infrastructure and services in a way that attracts logistics and investment projects for residents in all the quarters of the capital.

He also reaffirmed the importance of easing procedures for investors interested in starting projects in the capital and “not to hinder or delay projects”.

Regulations governing investment should be easy and transparent, the King said, urging GAM officials to exhibit a high level of professionalism and proficiency when processing applications by investors.

King Abdullah issued directives to establish more public parks and upgrade the quality of existing recreational public facilities. 

The Monarch’s visit comes “out of his keenness to follow up on issues that concern citizens”, the statement said, noting that His Majesty visited GAM in March, 2015 and checked on plans and programmes the municipality was implementing to serve the population in Jordan’s largest city of 4 million.

Amman Mayor Aqel Biltaji briefed the King on GAM’s future plans in the fields of transportation traffic, public parks and facilities and investment facilitation, among others.

Regarding transportation and traffic, Biltaji outlined some GAM procedures aimed at developing public transport services through importing 100 modern buses in 2017, partial operation of the Bus Rapid Transit in 2018, encouraging the use of electric vehicles, establishing charging stations and implementing several other vital projects.

As for investment, he noted that GAM has adopted e-services related to issuing and renewing business licences and green buildings licencing, in addition to implementing new investment projects in partnership with the private sector in the fields of energy, entertainment, parks and transportation.

The mayor summed up plans to develop all areas of Amman, taking into consideration the expected expansion and population growth.

He also presented a detailed explanation on the development of GAM’s financial revenues and capital expenditure over the past few years and 2016.

At the end of the visit, His Majesty had a look at some electric cars which will operate as taxis under a project to develop the capital’s public transport sector. 

The King also listened to a briefing on this service by Noor Jordan for Transport — Taxi Moumayez — in cooperation with the Nissan Company which produces fully electric vehicles.

The electric taxis, which are being introduced in cooperation with Noor Jordan for transport with the aim of alleviating traffic jams in the capital and encouraging people to use public transport, will be operated under the slogan “Tawseelah” (pick up).

GAM recently signed an agreement with the French firm Hyseo International to set up 10 electric car charging stations in Amman with the support from the French government.

AMMAN – Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Nasser Judeh and UN envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura on Sunday discussed developments in Syria and the efforts to achieve a common understanding regarding the political transition. 

De Mistura's visit to Jordan comes as part of a regional tour to discuss the Syrian issue with concerned countries in preparation for the upcoming Syria talks in Geneva.

The talks are slated for later this month, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

 Judeh reiterated the Jordanian stand on the Syrian crisis, which calls for a political solution that guarantees security for Syria and its people, preserves the country’s unity and ensures the participation of all Syrians in the political process. He also asserted the importance of finding a comprehensive solution in accordance with the UN resolution 2254, Geneva I resolutions and the recommendations made by the international group to support Syria.

Judeh also reasserted Jordan’s commitment to supporting all efforts to find a political solution to the Syrian crisis, commending de Mistura’s and the UN’s important role in this regard.

De Mistura stressed his commitment to continued cooperation and coordination with Jordan, and pointed the vital role of Jordan and its continuous support to all attempts to solve the crisis.   

AMMAN — His Majesty King Abdullah has issued a Royal Benefaction (makruma) to provide for the restoration of Jesus’ Tomb in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem, at His Majesty’s personal expense.

The Royal Court  said in a statement that it has “informed the Jerusalem Patriarchate of His Majesty’s makruma in a letter sent to His Beatitude Kyrios Kyrios Theophilos III, Patriarch of the Holy City of Jerusalem and All Palestine and Jordan”.

The patriarch “commended the generosity of His Majesty [who] has always been, and shall remain, the faithful Guardian and Custodian of the Christian and Muslim Holy Sites in Jerusalem. … His Majesty King Abdullah embodies in deed, and not only in word, the shared living of Muslims and Christians all over the world and particularly in the Holy Land”, emphasising the Hashemites’ “unique historic role in the preservation of both Christian and Muslim Holy Sites in Jerusalem and the Occupied Territories”.

Patriarch Theophilos also said that this “continuing Jordanian Hashemite patronage has been an indelible source of support for all the churches in the Holy Land and all the Christians in the East”.

Jordan’s role in protecting Christian existence in the Holy Land is clear and undeniable. King Abdullah spearheads the efforts of all Jordanians to sow the seeds of love and brotherhood between Muslims and Christians, the patriarch was quoted as saying. 

“We are reaping the fruits of these efforts in this age when sectarian wars are burning entire countries as can plainly be seen,” the Patriarch added.

He stressed that King Abdullah presents the Palestinian cause as a top priority in all the international forums that the Monarch attends. 

“His Majesty constantly reiterates that Jerusalem’s Muslim and Christian Holy Sites are a red line, which Jordan will not permit to be crossed. Also, that Jordan continues to uphold its religious and historic responsibilities towards the entirety of Al Haram Al Sharif with the utmost commitment and seriousness …”

Theophilos added: “Our churches will continue to pray for the peace and security of Jordan, its army, its security agencies, its people, and its leader who justly and honestly continues the Pact of Omar. The Pact of Omar was instituted by the second successor of the Prophet Muhammad, the Caliph Omar Ibn Al Khattab. Through this pact, the Christians of the Holy Land lived without fear for their lives, the lives of their families and their property”.

According to the statement, Theophilos has signed an agreement with the National Technical University of Athens (NTUA) in March 2016 to restore Jesus’ Tomb, in cooperation with the Armenian Patriarchate of Jerusalem and the Franciscan Missionaries Serving the Holy Land. 

“The agreement followed a study that was undertaken by specialists at NTUA and presented to a number of Christian religious leaders, the Jordanian ambassador to Athens, Palestinian and Greek officials,” the Royal Court said.

AMMAN — The Lower House's Integrity Committee has sent an official memorandum to the government inquiring about the measures the latter has taken regarding Panama Papers’ leak.

The memo was already submitted to the government through the House speakers’ office, parliamentary sources confirmed to The Jordan Times.

In the memo, a copy of which was seen by The Jordan Times, head of the panel MP Amjad Al Khattab asked the government to inform the House about the procedures it was taking or would take to deal with the Panama Papers especially as they contained names of Jordanian figures. 

“The government is required to clarify its position on the leaked papers,” the committee wrote in the memo.

No official statement has been made yet by the government on the Panama Papers’ leak, which has grabbed headlines around the world.

Around 11 million documents held by the Panama-based law firm Mossack Fonseca have been passed to German newspaper Sueddeutsche Zeitung, which then shared them with the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ).

The ICIJ then shared the documents with a large network of international partners, including The Guardian and the BBC.

The Washington-based consortium said the cache of 11.5 million records detailed the offshore holdings of a dozen current and former world leaders, as well as businessmen, criminals, celebrities and sports stars.

AMMAN — The army said on Sunday that Border Guards during the previous 72 hours foiled infiltration attempts by three people of different nationalities. 

An official source at the Jordan Armed Forces-Arab Army (JAF) said two of the infiltrators were trying to cross the border from Jordan into a neighbouring country. 

The third crossed the Jordan River coming from a neighbouring country into the Kingdom, according to the Jordan News Agency, Petra.

Border Guards executed rules of engagement taken in such cases, arrested the suspects and referred them to the concerned authorities, the source said.

A JAF official said, on Sunday, that Border Guards at dawn foiled an infiltration attempt by a vehicle coming from the Syrian territories, according to a JAF statement.

Border Guards executed rules of engagement taken in such cases, resulting in destroying the car after its passengers escaped into Syria.

Army personnel seized 3,991 palm-sized sheets of hashish with a weight of 722 kilogrammes, 3,592,000 Captagon pills which weighed 667.5kg, the statement said, adding that seized items were referred to relevant authorities.  

Also on Sunday, the army said Border Guards received 909 Syrian refugees during the previous 72 hours and transferred them to shelters and camps, and Royal Medical Service personnel treated the injured, according to a statement carried by Petra.

AMMAN — The Kingdom is forecast to be affected on Tuesday by a relatively cold air mass, which will bring chilly weather and below average temperatures, the Jordan Meteorological Department (JMD) said Sunday.

The relatively cold air mass is expected to end days of summer-like weather, a JMD meteorologist said, noting that temperatures later this week will be 6°C to 7°C below the annual average of 21ºC for this time of the year.

Temperatures will start dropping on Monday, but the weather will remain sunny and warm across the country, the forecaster said, noting that by Monday night, the skies will become cloudy, with a chance of scattered showers expected in the northern and central regions.

Temperatures on Monday are forecast to be 23ºC during the day, dropping to 11ºC at night in Amman, while winds will be northwesterly moderate to brisk, raising dust in the desert.

A tangible drop in temperatures is expected on Tuesday, as the impact of the relatively cold air mass starts affecting the country, according to the JMD.

“The weather will become relatively cold and cloudy, and light rainfall at times is forecast in the northern and central regions. By Tuesday night, the southern mountains will start receiving rain,” the weather forecaster said on condition anonymity.

Temperatures on Tuesday are forecast to range between a high of 16ºC and a low of 9ºC at night in Amman, while winds will be northwesterly moderate to brisk, raising dust in the desert.

Another slight drop in temperatures is expected on Wednesday, when the weather will remain relatively cold and cloudy, the department said.

“Rainfall on Wednesday is forecast across the Kingdom, and it will be heavy and accompanied by thunder and lightning at times,” the meteorologist noted.

Winds will be northwesterly brisk, raising dust in the desert, and temperatures will be 15ºC during the day, dropping to 9ºC at night in the capital.

The forecaster stressed that although winter has ended, the country is expected to witness multiple depressions and relatively cold air masses which could bring sufficient rain, adding that the wet season usually ends in May.

AMMAN — Students from Al al Bayt University on Sunday boycotted the services provided by Mafraq Governorate’s autobuses, demanding a “better” transportation system for students.

A third-year student who preferred to remain unnamed said the issue “has been going on for years”.

“This semester, around 3,000 new students joined the university, while around 500 have graduated, this means there are more people who need proper transportation,” he told The Jordan Times over the phone.

He complained of a shortage in buses that provide proper transport services for students.

Around 15,000 students use public transportation in Mafraq, some 80km northwest of Amman, he said, but only 18 buses are available to “serve them”.

“We do not have buses for the university… The buses we use are for the governorate, we have to wait for hours sometimes to leave university,” the student continued.

For the 4km distance from the Mafraq bus terminal to the university gate, buses charge around JD0.20, according to students, who claimed that the distance should cost around JD0.15.

The computer science student also stressed that each bus can carry only 25 passengers, but drivers “always take double the number”.

Students demand more buses, an organised time schedule for each bus, and an area for students to wait for the bus.

They also want the authorities to find appropriate solutions for a safer and more organised transport system.

Land Transport Regulatory Commission Director General Marwan Hmoud said the commission is working on a plan in cooperation with the university administration.

He added that the Amman-Zarqa-Mafraq buses were given certain daily schedules to transport university students during morning and evening hours.

“The commission will meet with university officials on Wednesday to find solutions to the problem and increase the number of buses that transport students,” he told The Jordan Times over the phone.

AMMAN — Anti-Narcotics Department (AND) personnel have arrested a suspect at the Queen Alia International Airport (QAIA) reportedly attempting to smuggle drugs in his stomach, a statement said Sunday.

The Public Security Department (PSD) said AND agents had received information that the suspect will be arriving at QAIA with drugs hidden in his body.

A medical check of the suspect proved he had swallowed balloons filled with 250 grammes of cocaine.

Upon further questioning, the suspect said he was supposed to deliver the drugs to another accomplice, who was also arrested.

The two were referred to the State Security Court (SSC) prosecutor, the statement said.

In late March, the PSD said AND personnel cooperated with the General Intelligence Department, to arrest three South American suspects who had reportedly smuggled 3kg of cocaine into the Kingdom in their stomachs.

In December last year, the PSD reported two cases involving the arrest of South American suspects who were caught smuggling cocaine in their stomachs.

In another case reported on Sunday, AND personnel raided the house of a suspected drug dealer in the Southern Badia’s Jafer area, arresting the suspect and confiscating 50,000 narcotic pills and a firearm.

The PSD statement said the raid took place at dawn on Saturday, and the case was referred to the SSC prosecutor.

AMMAN — Muslim scholars on Sunday called for consensus among all faiths and religious schools to foster cooperation, and ensure justice for all.

The scholars, representing several Arab and Muslim countries, called for genuine efforts to attain peace and collaborative work for the advancement of human kind, and removing all forms of oppression and injustice, according to the declaration of an international conference held by the International Forum for Moderation. 

In the declaration, the participants called for defending Islam and its principles.

They also called for cooperation in spreading sciences and knowledge, and underlined the need for forming an international commission for solidarity with families of victims of crises.

The Muslim scholars also called for an end to the use of weapons of mass destruction.

In a speech at the two-day event, which concluded Sunday and was held under the title “path of construction and path of deconstruction", International Forum for Moderation Secretary General Marwan Faouri stressed the noble values of Islam, noting that it is a religion of justice and freedom.

Faouri also stressed the need to defend the image of Islam.

Participants at the event, who included officials and scholars from Sudan, Turkey, Morocco, Tunisia, Yemen, Sudan and Saudi Arabia, discussed the role of social media in spreading false information about religion and in fuelling sectarian violence.

They also underlined the need to maintain principles of coexistence and mutual respect among followers of all religions.

The participants said addressing issues of concern to young people must be a priority since they represent the majority of populations in Arab and Muslim countries. 

They also called for means to protect young people from any attempts to brainwash them by radical and extremist groups that tarnish the image of Islam and its followers.

AMMAN — The Lower House on Sunday returned the amended Public Health Law to the Senate, insisting again on its changes to the bill.

MPs insisted that family and tribal diwans (gathering places) be excluded from the no-smoking places listed in the law, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

Deliberating over the law on March 29, senators included the tribal diwans among the places where smoking is prohibited.

Under the law, smoking is prohibited in hospitals, healthcare centres, schools, cinemas, theatres, libraries, museums, public and non-governmental buildings, public transport vehicles, airports, border crossings, stadiums, closed playgrounds, lecture halls, Internet cafés, tourism buildings and any other similar location.

On March 13, the Lower House endorsed the law, stiffening the penalty for smoking in public places. 

Under the new amendments, a prison term from one to three months or a fine no less than JD100 and no more than JD200 will be imposed on those caught smoking cigarettes or any tobacco product in public places.

The government’s version of the law stipulated that any person caught smoking in a public place is subject to between one week and one month imprisonment or a JD15-JD25 fine. 

In the law, a “public place” is defined as the place designated to receive the public or a certain category of people like hospitals and schools.