Local

AMMAN — Jordan’s Interpol office in Amman has received a suspect arrested by the Interpol office in Cairo, Egypt, for writing bad cheques, a Public Security Department (PSD) statement said Tuesday.

The two Interpol offices coordinated with each other, whereby Jordan sent a security delegation to Egypt to retrieve the suspect, the PSD added.

AMMAN — Deputy Chairman of the Joint Chiefs-of-Staff Maj. Gen. Ziad Majali on Tuesday received the head of Poland’s National Security Bureau, Paweł Soloch, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

They discussed military cooperation and issues of mutual interest.

AMMAN — An 18-year-old died on Tuesday when a vehicle he was driving overturned in a farm in Mafraq, according to a Civil Defence Department statement.

Mafraq Public Hospital Director Smeir Mashaqbeh said the man arrived dead at the hospital. Also on Tuesday, a 37-year-old Egyptian guest worker died when he fell from the fourth floor of a building under construction in the 7th Circle area.

AMMAN — His Majesty King Abdullah on Monday strongly condemned the Ankara terrorist bombing in a phone call with Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu.

They also discussed global and regional efforts to combat terrorism, a Royal Court statement said. 

Davutoglu has postponed a visit to Jordan scheduled for Tuesday following the deadly bombing in Ankara that claimed the lives of dozens, according to a government official.

Minister of State for Media Affairs and Communications Mohammad Momani told The Jordan Times on Monday that Davutoglu’s visit to Jordan was postponed.

During his visit to Jordan, the Turkish premier was scheduled to hold talks with King Abdullah and Prime Minister Abdullah Ensour on bilateral relations and regional developments, according to Turkish media outlets.

Davutoglu was also due to participate in the Turkish-Jordanian Business Forum in Aqaba. 

In a phone call on Monday, Davutoglu informed Ensour of the postponement of the visit to the Kingdom following the terrorist attack in Ankara late on Sunday, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

Ensour voiced Jordan’s strong condemnation of the criminal attacks, stressing on Jordan’s full support to Turkey in its efforts to stand up to the heinous terrorist acts.

“We all stand together in the face of these criminal acts that tarnish and violate the basic human principles,” said Ensour.

He also sent a cable to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in which he offered condolences over the terror attack.

AMMAN — Muslims can and need to do more to empower the moderate and counter the narrative of terrorists and radical groups, Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi said in an exclusive interview with The Jordan Times during her visit to the Kingdom on Sunday.

“Muslim countries need to work more together… Jordan and Indonesia can play a great role in these efforts,” Marsudi said.

As terrorists resort to social media and online tools to recruit militants from all over the world, Marsudi said Muslim countries need to take the initiative and use the same tools to counter their propaganda and protect youths from attempts to brainwash them and take advantage of their situation to implement terrorist plots that deliberately tarnish the image of Islam.

“More coordination and cooperation is required among the Islamic countries to take practical measures when it comes to social media,” Marsudi said, highlighting the “Indonesian Digital Initiative: Empowering Peaceful Leaders”, which was launched by Indonesian President Joko Widodo last month. 

The initiative stresses on the importance of social media in responding to terrorist and radicalised movements and seeks to promote a counter narrative via social media to root out radicalism. 

All Muslims need to do more work together to spread the true message of Islam, tolerance and peace, she said.

“In Indonesia, we have diversity in religion and sects and we all live in harmony, mutual respect and tolerance and this is the true message of Islam that we all need to promote,” she said.

Palestine back on radar anew

Turning to the Middle East, the foreign minister said Indonesia is keen to put the Palestinian issue back on the radar screen of the international community.

“There are so many conflicts in the region and we do not want the Palestinian issue to be overshadowed. The international community’s attention is fluid when it comes to the Palestinian issue amidst regional conflicts,” she said, noting that Indonesia last week hosted the 5th Extraordinary Islamic Summit on Palestine and Jerusalem as part of efforts to put the issue back on track.

“We have to exert efforts to stop the Israeli settlement activities in the West Bank as these settlements destroyed the Palestinian territories. This was highlighted also during the summit,” she said, stressing that East Jerusalem is the capital of the Palestinian state.

At the summit, participants not only sent an important message of their support to the Palestinians, but also stressed that the Palestinians need to be united so “we can all support them,” she said.

Bilateral ties

On Jordanian-Indonesian relations, the minister said the two countries enjoy great relations and there is room for increased collaboration in various areas of economy, tourism, education and trade.

“There has been a decline in trade exchange and the potential to boost it is great as Royal Jordanian currently operates three flights a week to Jakarta and we hope it will increase to one flight a day,” she said.

There is also a room for cooperation in areas of defence, she said, adding that Jordan and Indonesia have signed 10 memoranda of understanding between universities.

“During my visit, we discussed means to increase the number of Indonesian students studying here and also the number of Jordanians going to study in Indonesia’s universities,” she said.

The minister also added that there is a potential to tap into the tourism field in Jordan, saying that currently, some 50,000 Indonesians visit the Kingdom every year.

“My message to the Jordanian people is that you have friends in Asia and Indonesia, and we are ready to strengthen our ties in various fields including people to people areas,” said the minister.

AMMAN — The government's procedures to ensure fair and free elections will be the main criterion when the Muslim Brotherhood takes the decision to participate or boycott the upcoming parliamentary elections, the group said on Monday.

In a statement yesterday, the Muslim Brotherhood, the Kingdom's largest opposition group, said that it has made no decision yet to participate or boycott the parliamentary elections, adding that its final decision will be based on a number of factors — chiefly the government's “seriousness to ensure fair and transparent polls”.

"Our decision will mainly rely on the measures taken by the next government," which is expected to be formed to handle the elections, whose date is not decided yet.

"Reforming the Independent Elections Commission and the nature of the government which will supervise the polls are the crucial factors in its decision,” the group said.

In the statement, a copy of which was sent to The Jordan Times, the Brotherhood expressed regret over what it described as the government's insistence on a "failed elections law", saying that the government has turned its back to the demands of political parties and civil society organisations when it drafted the 2015 Parliamentary Elections Law.

In remarks to The Jordan Times later on Monday, Murad Adaileh, spokesperson of the Islamic Action Front (IAF), the political arm of the Islamic Movement, echoed the statement. 

"The group's and the IAF's shura councils have a decision to make at the end of the day," Adaileh said, "and that decision will be based on how serious the coming government will be in ensuring integrity of the elections".

The Islamist group boycotted the 2010 and 2013 polls, mainly citing the notorious one-person, one-vote system, which was scrapped in the newest version of the law, passed by Parliament and endorsed by the King recently. They also pointed out the lack of transparency and vote rigging in the 2007 polls.

However, Adaileh said: “It is not true that our decision has been based on our rejection of the election law. In 2007, the group participated in the polls although they were conducted on the basis of the one-person, one-vote electoral system which we always opposed,” he said.

“The IAF participated in the 2007 elections, which completely lacked fair play.”

In addition to guarantees of transparency and fairness in the polls, Adaileh said a third factor is a “suitable internal climate”, including the protection of public freedoms and the strong presence of political parties in the political life.

“Let’s see what they [authorities] will do and then we will decide accordingly.” 

AMMAN — Her Majesty Queen Rania on Monday said that institutions in charge of protecting children must be held accountable when they fail to do so.

At a meeting with members of the National Framework for Family Protection Committee, the Queen said child deaths as a result of domestic violence are unacceptable.

Alarmed by the killing of six children at the hands of their parents last year alone, Her Majesty added that what was more disturbing was the fact that some of them had been identified as victims of domestic violence by various government institutions.

The committee is part of the National Council for Family Affairs (NCFA).

The Queen met with the committee to discuss ways to curb violence against children, and address its recent shortcomings in child protection, according to a statement from Her Majesty's office.

Queen Rania said Jordan has been successful in its child protection efforts, but there has been a decline in family protection services. She called on the committee to address legal and social loopholes that hinder the framework’s ability to safeguard all family members.

Her Majesty added that the National Framework for Family Protection is a cohesive system, based on intervention roles by several institutions. 

But she added that this system is destined to fail if all the parties do not work together.

The Queen emphasised the importance of upholding the rule of law and raising awareness about the dangerous social consequences of domestic violence.

Closed circuit television networks in courthouses that have allowed victims to give private testimonies have helped curb violence against children. Tracking systems that have allowed government agencies to share reported cases of violence have also been useful. This is why Her Majesty called on the committee to invest in technology that serves child protection.

Members of the committee briefed Queen Rania on the challenges that hinder the implementation of the framework’s action plan based on a set timeline. 

The discussion also concluded that there is a need for a compliance agreement between all stakeholders defining their roles and responsibilities.

The committee consists of several ministers, including Education Minister Mohammad Thneibat, Interior Minister Salameh Hammad, Planning and International Cooperation Minister Imad Fakhoury, Health Minister Ali Hiasat and Awqaf Minister Hayel Dawood. 

Other NCFA board members who attended included Rajai Muasher, deputy chair of the NCFA board of trustees, and representatives of the Prime Ministry and the UN Population Fund (UNFPA).

The framework committee has been reviewed and updated with funding from UNFPA, UNICEF and UNHCR.

The new framework guarantees the creation of rehabilitation, care, and integration programmes for victims of domestic violence.

AMMAN — The government and donor agencies agreed on Sunday to accelerate the pace of work to create an attractive investment climate that prevents duplication and overlapping in the work of donors.

At a meeting chaired by Minister of Planning and International Cooperation Imad Fakhoury, senior officials and representatives of donors working to support business environment reform discussed means to coordinate assistance and organising their efforts to make Jordan an attractive investment environment.

Talks covered means to build the capacities of the Jordan Investment Commission and reviewing the relevant economic laws and regulations, according to a statement from the Ministry of Planning and International Cooperation.

The donors are USAID, the EU, the UK, the World Bank, the International Finance Corporation, and the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development, in addition to a number of European ambassadors and key partners supporting the Kingdom.

Donors praised the government’s measures to organise and coordinate work, and prevent overlapping and scattered efforts in improving the business environment and competitiveness.

Fakhoury said the meeting is an output of the London donor conference on supporting Syria and the region that was held in February to support host countries of Syrian refugees and to endorse the Jordan Compact. 

The conference’s outputs focused on supporting the government’s efforts to improve the business and investment environment and enhance access to European markets through the simplification of the rules of origin.

Fakhoury said Jordan adopted a number of policies to attract investments and improve the business environment, and to create job opportunities for Jordanians.

The minister highlighted the most important components of the government’s working plan to be implemented with donors, including the revision of laws regulations business to avoid duplication.

The meeting witnessed discussions on the nature of support and projects implemented by donors to accelerate the upgrading of the investment environment and competitiveness. 

Fakhoury urged donors to commit to their support and give high priority to implementing projects relevant to economic reforms, especially procedures to promote investment, and the regulations governing the work of the Jordan Investment Commission.

The two sides agreed to hold periodic meetings with all donors to review work progress in implementing reforms.

AMMAN — The Ministry of Public Sector Development on Monday launched the second phase of its innovation incubator, which seeks to nurture performance-boosting ideas.

Enhancing the performance of the public sector through innovative ideas may have a “modest” beginning, but it provides the basis to promote the mindset and culture of creativity in the long run, said Minister Khleef Al Khawaldeh. 

He added that public sector employees are encouraged to strike a balance between performing their daily jobs and thinking of means to enhance performance and efficiency.

Speaking at an event to award winners of the first phase of the initiative, Khawaldeh said the first stage, which extended over the past year, received 189 ideas and initiatives from 143 employees in 49 public agencies. 

“Although proposed ideas and initiatives in the first phase did not showcase a high level of creativity and innovation, the application of these ideas will help improve public services,” he said.

The minister added that the recognition of the five winning ideas, which tackled electronic training, improving methods for announcing public tenders and enhancing the education environment, is aimed at encouraging other employees to present their initiatives.

The winners are Fayez Hadidi and Sandy Fakhoury from the Income and Sales Tax Department, Myassar Draini and Abdul Ilah Abu Touq from the Education Ministry, and Nassri Qisiyeh from the Joint Procurement Department.

Khawaldeh said the second phase of the on-going project will be open for direct contributions from all segments of society, not exclusive to public sector employees, via the ministry’s website (www.mopsd.gov.jo). 

AMMAN — Cruise ship tourism to Aqaba is set to see a boom this year with 30,000 visitors from various nationalities expected to arrive, an official at the Aqaba Special Economic Zone Authority (ASEZA) said on Monday. 

ASEZA Commissioner for Economic Development and Investment Affairs Sharhabeel Madi told The Jordan Times over the phone that a group of foreign tourists started to arrive at the port city, some 330km south of Amman, via cruise ships as of last Friday, adding that the group of 500 visitors are seen "as elite vacationers" from Europe. 

Madi said between March and December of this year the total number of tourists is expected to reach 30,000, who will be mainly from Europe.

"Expected visitors will be from Germany and Britain, in addition to tourists from the Gulf region," he added. others groups would stay 48 hours to tour Wadi Rum, some 328km south of Amman, and Petra, 235km south of the capital. 

"There will be special promotional campaigns to promote the port city as a main tourist destination in the region," he noted. 

In February, ASEZA launched a month-long promotional campaign called Aqaba Carnival with discount offers by hotels and transportation firms to attract local holidaymakers to enjoy the warm weather in the Red Sea resort. 

Madi told The Jordan Times previously that between 60,000 to 70,000 tourists visited Aqaba during February, which used to be considered a low season. 

Aqaba Carnival was launched for the second year in a row, with plans to hold it annually, according to the ASEZA official.