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AMMAN – Interior Minister Salameh Hammad on Sunday, accompanied by the directors of the  public security and gendarmerie departments, met on Sunday with Civil Defence Department Director (CDD) Lt. Gen. Talal Kofahi, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported. During the meeting, held at the CDD headquarters, Hammad highlighted the vital role played by these agencies in achieving security through active coordination and cooperation.

The minister also praised the advanced level of the CDD, especially its winning of the King Abdullah II Award for Excellence in Government Performance and Transparency.

AMMAN — Her Majesty Queen Rania met with Sare Davutoğlu, the wife of the Turkish prime minister, on Sunday.

During the meeting, Queen Rania and Davutoğlu discussed a number of matters and areas of mutual interest, including issues of particular importance to Her Majesty, such as education advancement, child rights, and community empowerment in Jordan, according to a statement from the Queen's office. 

The meeting took place during the Turkish prime minister's working visit to Jordan, the statement added.

AMMAN — World Bank Group President Jim Yong Kim and United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon are due on Sunday to start a visit to Jordan, where they will visit the Zaatari Refugee Camp and meet with top officials.

The two guests will also hold a joint press conference at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, along with Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Nasser Judeh, and Planning and International Cooperation Minister Imad Fakhoury.

The visit by the two international figures comes after a three-day stop in Lebanon, with the aim of having a first-hand look at the impact of the Syrian crisis and to assess how the two organisations can best support both countries in light of the ongoing regional conflicts and instability.

In Lebanon, Kim announced a new $100 million initiative aimed at supporting the government’s plan to improve the quality of its education and to secure school education for all Lebanese and Syrian refugee children by the end of the 2016-2017 school years, said a World Bank (WB) statement e-mailed to The Jordan Times.

A similar sum was also pledged to Jordan at London donor conference that took place last month, according to Fakhoury.

The WB statement said that over the past several months, the World Bank Group has reoriented its strategy in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region to promote peace and stability as necessary conditions for development. 

Working with partners, the aim is to focus directly on the causes of conflict, while helping countries address its consequences and to recover and rebuild. 

The new strategy is built on four main pillars: restoring trust between citizens and their governments with greater accountability and improved services; promoting increased regional cooperation around the shared priorities of education; energy and water; supporting countries and communities hosting large numbers of refugees to strengthen their resilience and preparing for reconstruction whenever and wherever peace emerges.

To raise the volume of financing needed to implement the new strategy, and to rally the international community around the common goal of promoting peace and stability in the region, the World Bank Group has partnered with the United Nations and the Islamic Development Bank Group. Together, the statement said, they have convened the international community to develop the New Financing Initiative to Support the MENA Region, which aims to provide concessional financing to support refugees and host communities in Jordan and Lebanon, the middle income countries of the region that have been the most impacted by the Syrian refugee crisis; and raise a greater volume of financing needed for post-conflict reconstruction and economic recovery for countries across the MENA region.  

“This initiative will create a unique platform among multilateral development banks and the UN to strengthen coordination on development assistance to the region at this critical juncture,” the statement added.

At the Supporting Syria and the Region Conference that took place in February in London, the World Bank Group announced that it would triple its investment in the region as compared to the previous five years. Funding from the New Financing Initiative to Support the MENA Region combined with current programmes is expected to total about $20 billion over the coming five years. Furthermore, the initiative aims to raise $1 billion in grants from donors over the next five years, which will be leveraged to provide $3 billion to $4 billion in highly concessional loans for Jordan and Lebanon. 

AMMAN — Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu was due to arrive in Amman late on Saturday after postponing an earlier plan to visit the Kingdom on March 13, delayed by an explosion in Turkey's capital, Ankara.

The premier’s visit seeks to boost bilateral ties, while he will hold talks on recent developments in Syria, Turkish news outlets reported on Friday.

In his first visit to Jordan as prime minister, Davutoğlu is scheduled to meet with His Majesty King Abdullah and Prime Minister Abdullah Ensour, Government Spokesperson Mohammad Momani said in a statement carried by the Jordan News Agency, Petra.

In addition, the visiting official will address the Turkey-Jordan Business Forum, participate in a conference held by the Arab Thought Forum and attend the opening of the office of the Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency in Jordan, according to official sources. 

Apart from bilateral issues, Turkish and Jordanian officials will also exchange views on the ongoing Syrian refugee crisis affecting the two countries.

Momani said Jordan welcomes the visit, highlighting the deep-rooted relations between the two countries.

He added that talks are expected to cover economic cooperation and the war on terror, Petra reported.

AMMAN — IPG, a UK-based company, will spend around $100 million over the next four years exploring for gas and oil in the eastern parts of the Kingdom, Qutaiba Abu Qura, chairman of the National Petroleum Company, said Saturday.

Last week, IPG was granted concession rights to explore for gas and oil in Al Risheh gas field and Al Safawai area near the borders with Iraq, Abu Qura told The Jordan Times in an exclusive interview.

IPG is a newly registered company in the UK that is owned by Egyptian investor Yehya Al Koumi. It has recruited “internationally-renowned” experts in the field of oil and gas, according to energy officials.

“We are expected to sign the production sharing agreement with the company this year after the Cabinet has granted the company the concession rights,” Abu Qura added.

Under the deal, IPG will work on increasing output from Al Risheh gas field to reach around 50 million cubic feet per day during the first year of the contract.

Currently, gas output from Al Risheh gas field is around 12-13 million cubic feet per day.

“If the company increased the gas production to around 200 million cubic feet per day, there would be discussions with about another agreement for development and further production,” said Abu Qura.

Jordan needs around 400-450 million cubic feet of gas per day, according to Abu Qura.

“IPG will increase gas output as it will work on drilling new wells, rehabilitating existing wells, conducting maintenance for equipment if necessary and exploring for oil and gas in new areas… This is very good news for Jordan that we have the expertise of very prominent experts in the industry. This is promising,” Abu Qura added.

Early in 2014, Prime Minister Abdullah Ensour announced that British Petroleum (BP) ended its oil drilling operation in Jordan after unsatisfactory results on its second well in the country. Following that, the government floated several tenders to attract companies to explore for oil and gas in Al Risheh gas field and Al Safawi area.

Jordan, which imports about 97 per cent of its energy needs annually, incurred losses worth billions of dinars due to repeated cuts in natural gas supplies from Egypt. 

In mid-2015, Jordan opened a terminal for liquefied natural gas (LNG), which enabled the country to import LNG, mainly for electricity generation. 

According to the National Electric Power Company, around 80 per cent of the country’s electricity is generated by gas. 

AMMAN – The Jordan Strategy Forum (JSF) has launched the Jordan Prosperity Index (JPI), measuring the well-being of the Jordanian society and the quality of life in the Kingdom between 2007 and 2014.

The index, according to JSF Chairman Omar Razzaz, is the first of its kind at the national level. It assesses three main pillars: income, living environment and human capital development. 

The initiative, Razzaz said, aims to help policy makers and stakeholders in tracing the Kingdom’s performance in these areas, evaluate the impact of internal and external factors and draw up policies for improvement.

The launch of the index on Thursday was attended by dozens of economists, decision makers, journalists and private sector representatives. 

Each of the three main pillars includes a number of sub-pillars that evaluate Jordan’s performance in specific sectors, according to the study of the JSF, which indicated, for example, that the sub-pillars incorporated under income are: macro-economy, investment, income distribution and trade.

The living environment pillar measures the largest number of indicators as it covers environment, energy, transport, infrastructure, water, private sector governance, public sector governance, democracy and safety.

The human capital development pillar comprises labour-market, education and innovation, healthcare, gender and leisure. 

According to the JPI, results reflect a general improvement in Jordan’s performance along the living environment pillar, in addition to a stable performance along the human capital development pillar and a decline in the results of the income pillar. 

For the construction of the index, 2007 was used as a base year and was allocated 100 points for overall prosperity, while each pillar was also given 100.0 points. 

The study said that prosperity had reached its highest level in 2008 as it reached 103.3 points, while its lowest level was in 2012 at 98.7 points.

In 2014, overall prosperity hit 100 points, maintaining the same level in 2013. 

“Many scientists and academics criticise gross domestic product [GDP] as being a quantitative indicator for well-being of the country as economic growth may not necessarily lead to prosperity,” Razzaz said, adding the JSF developed the index to measure progress in the standards of living in Jordan beyond the GDP. 

Eman Al Araj, senior researcher at JSF, said indicators comprising the JPI were chosen based on an extensive literature review, as well as a review of local and international indices, adding that the data utilised for the purposes of the index is derived from official local and international sources. Araj added that the structure of the index allows for different levels of analysis, as every main pillar incorporates a number of sub-pillars that asses specific aspects of living in the country. 

The JSF is a non-for-profit organisation, which represents a group of Jordanian private sector companies.

AMMAN — An unofficial meeting scheduled for the Orthodox Club’s general assembly to discuss the relocation suggested by board members was cancelled on Saturday, according to club members.

Ghazi Kawar, a member of the club’s general assembly, said the suggested price to buy the new venue on the airport road is “too high”, expressing opposition to selling the club's current headquarters in Abdoun at a low price.

“We are uncertain of the motives behind selling the current location,” he told The Jordan Times on Saturday.

“Many members believe that cancelling the meeting… means that the administration is not willing to listen to the other viewpoint,” Kawar said in a phone interview.

For his part, club chairman Michael Sayegh said the unofficial meeting was cancelled for security considerations.

The offer to buy the current premises, he added, is “suitable” and the general assembly has the right to be informed of the offers presented to the board.

Club members opposed to plans to move the club's headquarters say the new location is out of the way and have expressed fears for their children's safety at night.

The chairman noted that the decision to relocate has not been finalised, and nothing has been signed, adding that this is not the first time that the club changes its venue.

“In the 1970s, the club was relocated to Abdoun from the 3rd circle,” Sayegh told The Jordan Times over the phone.

Sayegh said transportation will be provided, with four buses driving children every day to the club on the airport road and back to the assembly point. Shuttle buses will be available every 10 minutes.

He noted that the new location would enable the club administration to open a parking lot and an empty venue for various activities.

Around 10,000 members are currently registered at the Orthodox Club, he noted, adding that a study conducted by the club’s board in cooperation with Deloitte company found that 30 per cent of club members are expected to discontinue their membership.

“On the other hand, there is a 10 to 15 per cent chance that more members will join the club in its new location, where more facilities and space are available.” 

The chairman added that the Abdoun location "is not prepared to receive any more members". 

"Businesses are expanding towards the airport road.” 

For the decision to pass, more than 75 per cent of the club's active members have to endorse it, according to Sayegh.

 “Those who protested the decision didn’t review the studies we have conducted about the issue. Some even rejected conducting studies,” Sayegh added.

AMMAN — Although Jordan stunned Bangladesh 8-0 in World Cup qualifiers on Thursday, a post-match interview of Jordan's new head coach Harry Redknapp took centre stage among fans and international media outlets over the past weekend. 

National team fans and football analysts were excited to see the new style Redknapp would bring on his debut match, but the interview with Jordan Television took over the spotlight, with many describing it as "the most hilarious interview in the history of football".

After the end of the match, the coach was on his way to leave the pitch when Jordan TV correspondent Mohammad Qadri Hassan stopped him for an interview.

Qadri was seen struggling to speak with Redknapp in English, nudging the coach to force him to look at the camera. 

Many sports websites and media outlets ran stories of the interview.

British tabloid The Mirror ran a story headlined: "Harry Redknapp's ridiculous debut as Jordan boss features most awkward post-match interview ever".

While Eurosport published a story with the headline: "Harry Redknapp gives awkward interview after Jordan’s 8-0 win over Bangladesh." 

"Harry Redknapp’s first game as manager of Jordan ended in style after his side beat Bangladesh 8-0 in an Asian World Cup qualifier. But unfortunately, the same couldn’t be said for his post-match interview," Eurosport reported. 

The Independent football section shared the story on Facebook with the comment "Lost in Translation". 

"Redknapp doesn't speak Arabic and the reporter clearly doesn't speak very good English. What transpires is an interview full of confusion, [with] Redknapp… accidentally turning his back to the camera," The Independent said.

The Daily Mail also wrote about the interview, with a story headlined "Harry Redknapp gets roped into awkward interview after making debut as Jordan manager in 8-0 stroll against Bangladesh".

"The former QPR manager was caught unaware at the end of the game by the mumbling reporter who struggled to get Redknapp to face the camera, while losing some of his odd questions in translation," the British daily reported.

The Telegraph said the British coach needed "all of his 30-plus years of management experience" to deal with the interview. 

"It's not unfair to infer from this amicable but strained exchange that Redknapp and the journalist have problems understanding one another," the daily said.

"The pair's consummate professionalism was most in evidence when, with Redknapp mid-sentence, they seamlessly negotiated a 180-degree spin — so that they would actually be facing the television camera." 

The video of the interview also went viral on social media.

Marwan Alassaf (@marwanalassaf) shared the video on Twitter, writing in Arabic that it should be nominated for an Oscar.

Omar Shaaban also shared the video on Facebook, with the comment "Poor Redknapp".  

Mohammad S Habarnah wrote jokingly on Facebook that it was "the coach's fault; he does not know Arabic". 

AMMAN — Field Marshal Abdul Hafez Kaabneh, former chairman of the joint chiefs-of-staff, who died on Friday, was laid to rest in Madaba on Saturday. 

The former army chief was laid to rest at Alayan cemetery in Um Rasas in a military funeral attended by Sharif Fawaz Zaben, the King’s adviser for tribal affairs, who was deputising for His Majesty King Abdullah, the Supreme Commander of the Jordan Armed Forces-Arab Army (JAF).

King's Military Adviser and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs-of-Staff Gen. Mashal Al Zaben also attended the funeral, along with senior officials and officers, and members of Kaabneh's family, a JAF statement said.

The army paid tribute to its former chief, offering its condolences to his family. 

Kaabneh was born in Madaba in 1937 and joined JAF in 1954.

In 1974, he was assistant commandant of the Royal Jordanian Command and Staff College. He also served as director of military training in 1978 and was appointed as assistant to the chairman of the joint chiefs-of-staff for intelligence in 1984, before assuming the position of army chief between 1993 and 1999.

In 1999, Kaabneh was appointed as military adviser to King Abdullah. 

During his military service, the former army chief took part in many local and international workshops and received several medals.

He also served several times as senator, according to the statement.

AMMAN — Jordan is counting on donor countries and UN agencies to honour the pledges announced at the London conference in February, according to Planning and International Cooperation Minister Imad Fakhoury.

Speaking at the regular meeting with representatives of donor countries and UN organisations recently, Fakhoury said donors could provide assistance by supporting the budget and credit funds as well as projects implemented by the UN, NGOs or the private sector, according to a ministry statement released Saturday.

EU Ambassador to Jordan Andrea Matteo Fontana and UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Jordan Edward Kallon attended the meeting, along with UN representatives and ambassadors from Arab and foreign countries. 

Fakhoury called for joint work to implement the commitments to the Kingdom announced by the international community in order to enable Jordan to overcome the challenges and repercussions of the Syrian crisis. 

He also reviewed the content of the Jordan Compact to deal with the repercussions of the Syrian crisis, which was prepared in cooperation with the UK, the World Bank, the EU and several partners from donor countries supporting the Kingdom. 

The planning minister said the compact entails turning the crisis into an opportunity to attract new investments, create job opportunities for Jordanians and support host communities through funding the Jordan Response Plan.

He stressed the Kingdom's commitment to ongoing reforms despite the various regional challenges.

For their part, the attendees said the international community is committed to the responsibilities announced in the London donor conference to ensure the full financing of the Jordan Response Plan and address budget needs through grants and soft loans over the next three years, according to the statement.