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AMMAN — Security services in Tafileh arrested a group of people who are suspected of robbing shops in the governorate, Tafileh Police Director Col. Omar Khreishah said Tuesday.

Criminal Investigation Department personnel apprehended the suspects, who were found in possession of stolen items, Khreishah noted, adding that they confessed to stealing from stores and mobile shops.

He also noted that the majority of the apprehended suspects are from outside Tafileh, some 180km southwest of Amman, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported. He gave no details on their number.

AMMAN — The Queen Rania Teacher Academy (QRTA) on Tuesday inaugurated a training centre in Karak to serve teachers in the southern region. Hala Taher, director of development and programmes at the QRTA, said the centre would encourage teachers to transfer the training they receive to other colleagues.

Central Karak Education Director Sabah Nawayseh highlighted that training is important in the professional development of teachers, adding that developing students’ skills cannot be achieved without honing teachers’ skills, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

AMMAN — His Majesty King Abdullah, the Supreme Commander of the Jordan Armed Forces-Arab Army (JAF), visited army headquarters on Tuesday. 

The King was received by Chairman of the Joint Chiefs-of-Staff Gen. Mashal Al Zaben, HRH Prince Feisal and senior army officers. 

His Majesty discussed several issues concerning the army with Zaben. 

The King also viewed military machinery enhanced by the Royal Maintenance Corps to serve different purposes at JAF, according to a Royal Court statement.

AMMAN - An army source on Monday said Border Guards received 52 Syrian refugees during the previous 24 hours and transferred them to shelters and camps. 

Royal Medical Services cadres provided essential medical care for the ill and wounded, according to the Jordan News Agency, Petra.

AMMAN — His Majesty King Abdullah on Monday called for further cooperation between the Kingdom and UNHCR, to ensure that the international community exerts more efforts vis-à-vis the issue of Syrian refugees, especially in light of the increasing burdens borne by the Kingdom as a result of hosting Syrian refugees.  

During a meeting with the UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi, who has assumed his post recently, King Abdullah stressed the importance of boosting international efforts to make sure that host countries of Syrian refugees can pursue their humanitarian mission, especially in light of the increasing gap between the numbers of refugees and the international support for them, a Royal Court statement said.

During the donors' conference that will be held in the UK at the beginning of next month, Jordan will put forward its vision on drawing up mechanisms that ensure the sustainability of assistance and services for Syrian refugees.  

King Abdullah highlighted the Kingdom's efforts to ensure the flow of humanitarian assistance to Syrian refugees, whose number in Jordan is put at around 1.3 million. He called for intensifying support for the Jordanian government to pursue its services in this domain. 

The UN official was quoted by the statement as expressing his appreciation of Jordan's tremendous and continued efforts, since the beginning of the crisis in Syria, in hosting Syrian refugees and providing them with needed humanitarian services. He renewed UNHCR's commitment to supporting Jordan and coordinating with public and private entities to mitigate the heavy burdens. 

Grandi, a UN official who has worked in refugee and political affairs in the Middle East, Africa, and Asia, began his five-year term as UN High Commissioner for Refugees on January 1, succeeding António Guterres, whose more than 10 years in office ended last week.

Also on Monday, Prime Minister Abdullah Ensour met with Grandi and extended his wishes of success for the international official in his new post and current mission. 

At the meeting, attended by Interior Minister Salameh Hammad and Grandi’s accompanying delegation, the premier said the Kingdom is pinning great hopes on the donor conference which London will be hosting next month to assist refugee host countries, especially Jordan, in light of its limited resources. 

Grandi pointed out that he understands the burdens borne by the Kingdom as a result of hosting large numbers of refugees.

AMMAN — His Majesty King Abdullah and a delegation of the US House of Representatives, comprising Congressmen Steve Russell and Stephen Lynch, on Monday reviewed the Jordanian-US ties and the latest regional developments.  

During a meeting at Al Husseiniya Palace, attended by HRH Prince Feisal, the King renewed Jordan's appreciation of the efforts exerted by the US Congress members and committees to increase US assistance to Jordan, enabling it to deal with various challenges facing the country. 

King Abdullah highlighted the mounting burdens borne by the Kingdom as a result of hosting 1.3 million Syrian refugees , putting a tremendous pressure on the Kingdom's limited resources and capabilities. 

The two sides discussed regional challenges, along with the issue of combating terrorism and extremist groups through a holistic approach. 

The delegates expressed their appreciation of Jordan's role, under the leadership of His Majesty King Abdullah, to arrive at solutions to current regional crises and rally international support for the anti-terror drive.

MAFRAQ — Ending the conflict in Syria is the solution needed to end the refugee crisis, historically the largest the international community has been dealing with, a senior UN official said on Monday.

There is a “need for a quick solution to the conflict which is the principal cause for the crisis in Syria”, said UN High Commissioner  for Refugees Filippo Grandi, warning that until that happens, “we need greater resources to refugees and countries hosting them”.

Grandi, who visited Jordan as part of a regional tour to countries affected by the Syrian crisis, said unfortunately the persistence of the conflict in Syria means that the crisis continues to affect millions of Syrians, countries neighbouring Syria and host communities.

At a press conference in the Zaatari Refugee Camp, 80km northeast of Amman, the UN commissioner said after five years of war in Syria, the fragility and vulnerability of both refugees and host communities are increasing.

“So we are at a difficult stage of emergency… and we believe we have to continue to maintain the affection of the international community … to get enough support to address the consequences of the crisis.”

He stressed the importance of engaging all influential countries to exercise greater efforts for peace and to end conflict.

“If fighting does not stop, this crisis will not end and we will continue year after year asking the international community for huge money, until there is peace.”

To alleviate the burden on countries hosting refugees, Grandi said the UN agency will organise a conference in Geneva at the end of March to ask states to pledge not only money, but places to relocate Syrians who are in host countries, including Jordan.

“We are talking about large numbers”, tens of thousands, and “we need to discuss this with states”, he told reporters, adding that what is needed is a better sharing of responsibilities internationally, for a crisis that is not only to be shared by countries neighbouring Syria.

“It has to be shared globally and in an orderly way,” Grandi said, explaining that focusing on legal pathways is a means to prevent illegal  entry into these countries.

However, what would be difficult in the resettlement proposal is that many people are arriving already to these countries through illegal means, smuggling and trafficking channels, according to the UN commissioner, who noted that so many countries are saying: “We are already receiving these people, so why should we take in more people through legal means?”

In 2015, the number of resettlements, pledged by the US, Canada and the EU countries was more than 25,000. The programme has already started and is progressing, said the UNHCR chief, adding that the agency hopes the same number of places will be available in 2016.

As for the Syrian refugees who are camping across the border with Syria, Filippo said their number now is 17,000 (Jordan says 12,000), and the agency understands Jordan’s security concerns regarding allowing their entry.

“We have full appreciation and understanding of Jordan’s security concerns.” However, “because the war in Syria is so complex, vicious and includes terror, the issue of refugees continues to mingle with the security issue”.

Once those security concerns are satisfied, and it is certain that there are no elements of danger, then “they should be progressively admitted into Jordan’s territory”.

Meanwhile, Andrew Harper, the UNHCR representative to Jordan, said the agency needs $300 million to provide services for the Syrian refugees in 2016. He told The Jordan Times that Jordan’s approximate overall need to deal with the refugees this year is $3 billion.

AMMAN — Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Nasser Judeh on Sunday discussed bilateral ties and regional developments with Federica Mogherini, High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and Vice President of the European Commission.

The talks focused on the EU support for Jordan, including the simplification of the measures of country of origin for the Jordanian products exported to European countries, in addition to the prospects of further assistance by the union to the refugee-burdened Kingdom, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

The two sides also discussed ways to help Jordan through the international conference on Syrian refugees, slated to be held in London at the beginning of February.

Judeh reviewed with Mogherini the latest regional developments and the international anti-terror efforts, stressing the need for more international cooperation to eradicate rising extremism.

For her part, Mogherini thanked Jordan for its efforts to achieve peace and security in the region and its humanitarian assistance to the refugees.

Judeh’s talks in Brussels came as a follow-up of Her Majesty Queen Rania’s recent visit to the Belgian capital, where she discussed with the EU senior officials the need to extend more assistance to Jordan.

On Monday, Judeh took part in a meeting for the EU Foreign Affairs Council, attended by 28 foreign ministers and ministers of state for foreign affairs from member states of the EU, in response to an invitation from the council, Petra reported.

During the meeting, which was a follow-up of the talks that His Majesty King Abdullah held recently with senior EU officials, Judeh reviewed Jordan’s efforts to support regional and international security and stability. 

He reaffirmed Jordan’s constant stance, under the leadership of King Abdullah, to reach a political solution to the Syrian crisis that ensures Syria’s security and unity. 

Judeh also outlined the burdens the Kingdom shoulders for hosting Syrian refugees and called on the EU member states to increase their support, stressing the importance of the donor conference to be held in London next month. 

For their part, the foreign ministers and ministers of state for foreign affairs commended Jordan’s pivotal role in dealing with regional crises.  

AMMAN — Responding to a drop in annual per capita share of water by 16 per cent over the past five years, the government has launched a 10-year water strategy to bridge a growing gap between supply and demand.

Demand for water in Jordan has risen by 21 per cent since the Syrian crisis started, according to official figures.

The 2016-2025 National Water Strategy, announced on Sunday, indicated that not only has the per capita share dropped from 147 cubic metres per year to 123 cubic metres per year since the start of the Syrian crisis, but the cost recovery of operation and maintenance in the water sector has also dropped from 110 per cent in 2010 to 70 per cent in 2014.

The drop in both water share and cost recovery is due to the influx of Syrian refugees into the Kingdom and a rise in the cost of electricity used in water pumping by 220 per cent, according to the strategy, a copy of which was made available to The Jordan Times.

In order to bridge the growing gap between supply and demand, the Water Ministry seeks under the new strategy to explore new resources to generate 187 million cubic metres (mcm) of fresh water and increase the storage of the country’s dams by 25 per cent to around 400mcm from the current 325mcm. 

In addition, the ministry is relying on its Red Sea-Dead Sea Water Conveyance Project to provide 85mcm of water under its first phase — the implementation of which will occur during the years 2017-2021 — and an additional 150mcm under the project’s second phase, which will be implemented during 2020-2025.

The strategy also includes plans to provide 36mcm of surface water for irrigation, among other purposes: generate an additional amount of 94mcm of treated wastewater; and develop Wadi Araba.

“Implementing all of the above will raise the daily water per capita share from the current 80 litres to 105 litres,” according to the strategy.

During last year, national water demand stood at 1.205 billion cubic metres, while supply stood at 972mcm, according to the ministry’s figures, which showed that the water deficit last year was 233mcm.

In 2020, the ministry expects water demand to rise to 1.328 billion cubic metres and supply to increase to1.148 billion cubic metres, narrowing the deficit to 180mcm. 

By the year 2025, water demand is expected to stand at 1.698 billion cubic metres, water supply will be 1.558 billion cubic metres and the deficit will drop to 141mcm after implementing the strategy’s goals and projects.

Regarding electricity cost and its impact on cost recovery of operation and maintenance, the ministry is planning to improve its energy efficiency to reduce its electricity bill.

The cost of electricity for pumping water stood at JD141 million in 2014, which constituted 45 per cent of the operation and maintenance cost that year, according to the strategy, which indicated that the use of renewable energy technologies will be expanded to protect the environment and control fluctuating energy cost in the water sector.

“By 2025, energy consumption at water utilities will be cut by 15 per cent, while renewable energy’s contribution to the water sector’s energy supply will be raised to 10 per cent,” the strategy said.

Under the plan, the ministry will implement 15 projects to provide additional fresh water, five of which are national schemes; while for generating more irrigation water, the ministry is planning to implement 12 projects, most of which are new dams.

The cost of the 10-year strategy is JD5.3 billion, and the volume of investment required to implement its projects is JD540 million per year.

In a statement e-mailed to The Jordan Times on Monday, Water Minister Hazem Nasser said Jordan “has a vision to tackle its water crisis that relies on clear goals, policies and programmes”.

AMMAN — The government will start adopting e-signatures in all transactions during the first quarter of this year, a government official said Monday.

The e-signature will be used for internal transactions at public entities, between the government and the private sector, and between the government and citizens, a source at the ICT Ministry told The Jordan Times.

“This is a very important step towards increased usage and adoption of e-services in Jordan, a matter that will play a key role in ensuring convenience for users and faster operations in the public sector,” the source said on condition of anonymity.

The new service will be provided in collaboration between the ministry and the Telecommunications Regulatory Commission (TRC), said the source.

There are more than 6.3 million Internet users in Jordan with a penetration rate of about 77 per cent, according to TRC figures.

The introduction of e-signatures in Jordan is a very important step, Jawad Abbassi, head of the Middle East and North Africa region at GSM Association of mobile operators and related companies, told The Jordan Times.

“Any step that makes e-government services truly paperless and seamless is positive,” said Abbassi.

“Adopting e-signatures will help encourage usage of such services on a larger level,” he added.

Public agencies currently provide 100 e-services to citizens, and the government plans to introduce an additional 100 e-services in 2016-2017, and 150 e-services in 2018-2019, ICT Minister Majd Shweikeh said in remarks earlier this week.

The available services can be fully conducted online, from submitting an application or starting a transaction until completion and payment, Shweikeh said at a recent press conference.