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AMMAN — Tourism Minister Nayef Al Fayez is currently participating in a mobile tourism exhibition held in five East European countries until Saturday.

Fayez told the Jordan News Agency, Petra, the exhibition will tour Poland, the Netherlands, the Czech Republic, Hungary and Romania to boost Jordan’s tourism market and establish it as a permanent tourist destination.

Jordan Tourism Board (JTB) Managing Director Abed Al Razzaq Arabiyat highlighted the importance of these new markets for Jordan, stressing the board’s readiness to support promotion plans in these countries.

Meanwhile, JTB is also participating in the ITB ASIA Exhibition in Singapore, which concludes on Friday, through seven tourism and travel offices representing the Kingdom. 

AMMAN — Tunisian President Beji Caid Essebsi on Wednesday said Tunisia and Jordan hold similar views on regional issues. 

Speaking at an interview with Jordan Television, he said his country and Jordan are reading on the same page regarding these issues, describing the two countries’ approach as realistic.   

Jordan and Tunisia are similar in terms of their openness and moderation, the president added. 

Essebsi who concluded a two-day state visit to the Kingdom on Wednesday commended Jordan’s ability to preserve its stability under the leadership of His Majesty King Abdullah. 

Regarding the situation in Syria and foreign intervention in the Arab country, he said each Arab country has had its own agenda, and this has weakened the pan-Arab position, stressing that the main issue is not the question of Assad, but rather how to pull Syria out of the circumstances it is going through so that it can mend fences with its Arab peers.   

In reply to a question on how the Tunisian revolution managed not to slip into violence, he said Tunisian people are more inclined towards halfway solutions rather than radical ones. 

The revolution happened due to social reasons such as poverty, unemployment and marginalisation, but basically it was a revolution ignited by the youth and was not driven by religious motives, so it was easy to deal with, he noted, pointing out the need for ongoing efforts to alleviate these problems.     

AMMAN/MOSCOW— His Majesty King Abdullah on Wednesday received a telephone call from Russia's President Vladimir Putin during which the King and Putin discussed the development of conditions in Syria, besides several regional issues, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported. 

Putin also spoke with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Saudi Arabia's King Salman Bin Abdulaziz Al Saud about a visit by Syrian President Bashar Assad to Moscow.

Also on Wednesday, the King received a telephone call from US Secretary of State John Kerry, during which they discussed the developments in the Palestinian territories, as well as the latest developments in Syria, according to Petra.   

Surprise meeting between Putin, Assad

The previous day, Putin met with Syria’s embattled Assad during a surprise visit by the latter to Moscow in his first known trip overseas since his country’s conflict erupted, Agence France-Presse reported.

Assad thanked Putin for launching air strikes in Syria against opponents seeking his overthrow, with both leaders also agreeing during the talks late Tuesday that military operations must be followed by political steps, according to AFP.

As part of a flurry of diplomacy, Russia announced afterwards that Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov would meet Friday with US Secretary of State John Kerry and their Turkish and Saudi counterparts to discuss Syria.

Putin and Assad’s talks focused mainly on military developments, with the Russian leader pledging ongoing support but also urging a political solution to end the war, the Kremlin said.

Assad, who last visited Russia in 2008, told Putin that the three-week-old Russian air war — which has prompted an outcry in the West — had helped to stop the spread of “terrorism” in his country, the Kremlin said, as reported by AFP.

The strikes are reported to have killed 370 people so far, a third of them civilians, according to a monitoring group.

Russia says the campaign targets the Daesh extremist group and others it describes as “terrorists”.

But rebels and the West accuse Moscow of seeking to prop up Assad and of striking moderate and Islamist opposition forces rather than just terror groups.

Putin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Assad’s “working visit” was at the invitation of the Kremlin. The Syrian presidency said Wednesday that Assad had returned to Damascus.

‘Syrians have last word’ 

Peskov declined to say whether the “lengthy” talks, which included a one-on-one between the leaders and a joint dinner, brought any firm results, or whether Assad’s fate had been discussed, AFP reported.

Russia’s foreign and defence ministers also participated in a meeting between the two leaders.

Putin said Russia was ready to do all it could to help secure peace in Syria, which has been ravaged by the conflict that began with anti-government protests in March 2011.

More than 250,000 people have been killed and millions forced from their homes, sparking a mass migration of around 4 million refugees.

“We are ready to make our contribution not only during armed hostilities in the fight against terrorism but also during a political process,” Putin said.

Assad also stressed the importance of “further political steps” and praised Russia for its military and political efforts, the Kremlin said.

“I need to say that the political steps which Russia has taken since the start of the crisis prevented the events in Syria from developing along a more tragic scenario,” he said.

Putin also emphasised that the Syrian people should decide their country’s fate, a thinly veiled jab at the US and other opposition backers who insist Assad must go in any peaceful settlement.

“Based on positive results in military operations, at the end of the day a long-term settlement can be achieved on the basis of a political process with the participation of all political forces, ethnic and religious groups,” the Kremlin leader said.

“And ultimately, the final word no doubt should rest solely with the Syrian people.”

AMMAN — His Majesty King Abdullah on Wednesday saw off Tunisian President Beji Caid Essebsi, who left the Kingdom after a two-day state visit during which the two leaders held discussions that focused on bilateral relations and the latest developments in the Middle East.

Essebsi held several meetings with senior officials, according to a Royal Court statement.

During the visit, Jordan and Tunisia signed a cooperation agreement in civil protection and civil defence, and another on cooperation in the security field, which were signed by Interior Minister Salameh Hammad and Tunisian Minister of Foreign Affairs Taieb Baccouche.

Another agreement in the military field was signed by King’s Military Adviser and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs-of-Staff Gen. Mashal Al Zaben and Baccouche.

His Majesty also bestowed the Order of Al Nahda, the Kingdom’s highest-ranking medal, upon Essebsi for his contributions to “enhancing brotherly ties and distinguished relations between the two countries”.

Before his departure, Essebsi met with Senate President Abdur-Ra’uf S. Rawabdeh and discussed with him means to enhance bilateral cooperation between Jordan and Tunisia, especially at the parliamentary level, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

Rawabdeh reviewed milestones in the Kingdom’s reform push, including amending one-third of the Constitution and establishing the Constitutional Court and Independent Elections Commission, in addition to enacting a package of reform-oriented laws.

Essebsi expressed his appreciation for the reception he was given during the first visit of a Tunisian president to the Kingdom since president Habib Bourguiba’s visit in 1965. 

He highlighted shared views between the two countries on regional issues and mutual keenness to enhance stability in the region, stressing the importance of developing closer ties through drawing a bilateral plan for cooperation in several fields.

Lower House Speaker Atef Tarawneh also met with Essebsi and discussed the recurrent Israeli attacks on Palestine, especially the dangerous Israeli escalation in the West Bank and Jerusalem’s Al Haram Al Sharif, in addition to tackling the repercussions of regional circumstances, especially the Syrian crisis. 

The meeting also stressed the significance of joining international efforts to combat all forms of extremism, terrorism and violence, according to Petra.

Essebsi reviewed Tunisia’s democratic, political and partisan reform experiment and the challenges facing his country, which, he said, has made strides in the fields of education, labour and women rights.

Also on Wednesday, Amman Mayor Aqel Biltaji handed the golden key of Amman to Essebsi during a visit to the Greater Amman Municipality and the “See Amman” Exhibition, Petra reported.

AMMAN – Homebuilders are lobbying to convince decision makers to widen and permanently fix the incentives given to buyers, Jordan Housing Developers Association (JHDA) President Fawaz  Hassan said Wednesday.

In July of this year, the government exempted would-be home owners from registration fees for the first 150 square metres (sq.m.) of apartments sized 180sq.m. or less. The decision of exemption expires at the end of this year. 

Hassan told The Jordan Times that developers would exert "all efforts possible" and use their contact channels with the government to convince decision makers to keep the incentives permanently and to extend the exemptions to the first 150sq.m. of apartments sized up to 200sq.m.

"We will further lobby to achieve this because all Jordanians should have the right to benefit from government incentives," he said. 

"It makes no sense in terms of equality between all Jordanians that people who have already bought residential units benefited from the incentives, while future buyers are deprived of such a privilege," Hassan added. 

The JHDA president said that a series of "constructive" meetings have been held between housing developers and government officials to discuss the issue. 

The developer noted the exemption decision has boosted the performance of the real estate sector in the past four months.

According to official figures from the Department of Land and Survey (DLS), trading in the property market in the first nine months of the year reached JD5.46 billion.  

The number of residential apartments sold between January and September of this year was 30,621, according to the DLS report, which showed that home sales were 13 per cent higher compared to the same period last year. 

Housing developers expect trading in the property market this year to be close to JD7 billion. 

In 2014, real estate trading registered a record of JD7.76 billion, 22 per cent higher than the amount recorded in 2013 (JD6.34 billion).  

AMMAN — Minister of Planning and International Cooperation Imad Fakhoury on Wednesday discussed with a delegation from the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) Jordan's priorities and its economic developments.

According to a ministry statement e-mailed to The Jordan Times, the delegation comprised members of the bank’s board of directors representing EBRD member states.

During the meeting, Fakhoury said that Jordan, as an upper- middle-income country, is suffering the consequences of crises not of its own making and is playing a vital role in achieving stability and security in the region, in addition to  being on the first line of defence against radicalism and terrorism, the statement said.

The minister also called on the international community to extend more assistance to the Kingdom to help meet its development needs listed in the 2016-2018 Jordan Response Plan (JRP) pertaining to hosting Syrian refugees.

"Jordan has reached a saturation level as a result of surrounding crises," Fakhoury said, expecting the impact of regional turbulence on Jordan to extend to 10 years at least, according to the statement.  

 The 2016-2018 JRP seeks to build stronger linkages between humanitarian and development responses and to improve targeting of assistance based on vulnerability and through a resilience-based approach, according to the ministry.

The total cost of response interventions for the 2016-2018 plan is $8,137,444,104 (around JD5,769.5 million), including $2,450,978,299 (around JD1,737.7 million) for refugee interventions, $2,485,137,007 (around JD1,761.9 million) for resilience-strengthening of host communities, service delivery systems and public authorities, and $3,201,328,798 (around JD2,269.7 million) for specific budget support needs.

Fakhoury briefed the visiting delegation on Jordan’s economic developments and its reform plans, stressing the Kingdom’s committment to its reform plan through the Jordan 2025 economic blueprint, its executive development programme for the years 2016-2018, and its sustainable development goals. 

For their part, members of the visiting delegation expressed their appreciation of Jordan’s efforts and reforms as well as their understanding of its burdens, pledging strong support to the Kingdom’s economic programmes, according to the statement.   

During their visit to Jordan, EBRD’s board of directors will meet with representatives of the international financing organisations benefiting from the bank, especially in the renewable energy, entrepreneurs and banking sectors.  

DEAD SEA — The collective security of countries today is "intertwined", resulting in tensions that can easily spread across borders, and no region is safe, members of Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) and their partners agreed on Wednesday. 

They said at the conclusion of the two-day 2015 Mediterranean Conference on the shores of the Dead Sea that their efforts to forge partnerships that address pressing issues, including illegal migration, will continue. 

"No region has ever witnessed the chaos our region is witnessing today. Yes we have challenges and security concerns, but we also
have opportunities," said Jordan's representative to the OSCE Hussam Al Husseini.

Husseini noted that radicalisation, terrorism, the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, illegal migrants, among others are issues that need colllective efforts and action.

"They need more than debates, more sincere commitments. We cannot close our eyes and expect these threats to fade. We cannot hide behind walls and think we are safe," said Husseini, who also serves as the Kingdom's ambassador to Vienna. 

He stressed the need to act on words and demonstrate them as the situation in the region is "only getting worse". 

"We can simply expect what would happen next year if we do not rise to our responsibilities," the diplomat added.  

Lamberto Zannier, OSCE secretary general, agreed, saying that stronger efforts should be exerted to combat terrorism and support interfaith dialogue. 

Representatives of 63 nations took part in the conference, held under the theme “Common Security in the Mediterranean Region – Challenges and Opportunities”. They discussed ways to address violent extremism that leads to terrorism, irregular migration, refugee protection, migrant smuggling and human trafficking in the Mediterranean. 

“It is true that the OSCE is an organisation for dialogue and the sustainability of cooperation in issues related to security, but we seek to create internal understandings that lead to action,” Husseini told The Jordan Times. 

AMMAN — Planning and International Cooperation Minister Imad Fakhoury met on Wednesday with US Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) CEO Dana J. Hyde and her accompanying delegation in the presence of US Ambassador to Jordan Alice G. Wells. 

At the meeting, Fakhoury briefed them on the economic challenges facing the Kingdom and highlighted the government’s reform programmes and plans.

The two sides reviewed the various areas of cooperation between Jordan and the MCC and the projects the MCC is currently supporting in the water sector, in light of Jordan’s status as one of the world’s most water-poor countries, a ministry statement said.

Fakhoury commended the success of MCC projects in Jordan and stressed the government’s commitment to maintaining its cooperation with the corporation in the coming years. 

Also on Wednesday, Hyde and government officials launched the second phase of a household water conservation programme titled “Water Smart Homes Activity” and celebrated the groundbreaking of a new water utility administration building in Zarqa, according to a statement from the Millennium Challenge Account-Jordan (MCA-Jordan).

“The outreach campaign of the Water Smart Homes Activity utilises a variety of interpersonal channels such as women-led community-based organisations, women preachers, tribal meetings and more, all helping to encourage the adoption of in-house water management techniques to preserve water quality and quantity,” the statement quoted MCA-Jordan CEO Kamal Zoubi as saying. 

“Engaging and empowering women and girls is critical to Jordan’s economic growth,” Hyde said in the statement. “By integrating support and opportunities for women into our projects, MCC ensures that our investment in Jordan’s water sector is more effective and more sustainable.”

The first phase of the Water Smart Homes Activity programme for Zarqa Governorate started in December 2014. It seeks to improve water quality and quantity in Jordanian households through an outreach campaign to household decision makers, primarily women, as well as in-home infrastructure repairs, the statement said.  

The activity has also provided certified plumbing training for approximately 30 women, the statement reported, mentioning that some of the women are already working as plumbers for MCA-Jordan construction companies.

The Water Smart Homes Activity programme forms part of the five-year, $275 million MCC-Jordan Compact, which was designed to reduce poverty in Jordan through economic growth. 

The statement added that the new Zarqa Water Utility Administration Building, funded with cost savings achieved by MCA-Jordan through efficient programme management of the MCC-Jordan Compact, will enhance the operation and maintenance of the water utility, providing space for administration, storage for repair parts and equipment, and training. 

Hyde also visited construction sites where water and wastewater piping are being replaced. The MCC-Jordan Compact includes the construction and rehabilitation of more than 1,000 kilometres of water and wastewater network pipes, and repairs and installation of water connections in approximately 4,500 Jordanian homes, the statement said.

MCC’s compact with Jordan, launched in December 2011, is expected to benefit approximately 3 million people, according to the statement.

AMMAN — The chief editor of Al Balad news website, Osama Al Ramini, was released on bail Wednesday after being detained for violating the Electronic Crime Law, the Jordan Press Association (JPA) said on Wednesday.

“The association and its legal team exerted its efforts and secured the release of Ramini on JD1,000 bail,” JPA President Tareq Momani told The Jordan Times.

Ramini was detained in Salt prison for 14 days pending further investigation following a lawsuit against him for publishing an article deemed by authorities as non-objective and full of slander. 

It was not clear what the article was about, but media sources said the lawsuit was filed against Ramini by an investor while others said it was filed by Tafileh Education Department after the website published an article that the department deemed “defamatory and unprofessional”.

The JPA, which reiterated rejection of detaining journalists over publications, said there are some unacceptable and unprofessional practices by journalists.

“Unfortunately, in our profession we suffer from having intruders who have nothing to do with journalism and who take advantage of their jobs to exploit others, build their reputation or obtain some benefits and perks,” Momani said.

“We support media freedom, but at the same time we are against violating freedoms of others,” he stressed.

“Professional journalists enjoy a very high level of freedom. To make a name in the profession, one should not be after publishing un-sourced news or sensational material just to seek fame,” Momani said.

The association currently has about 1,200 members.

AMMAN — The State Security Court (SSC) on Wednesday decided to release on bail two Jihadi Salafist leaders who had been in prison since 2011, according to their defence lawyer.

The bail for Abed Al Tahawi, better known as Abu Mohammad Tahawi, and Bassam Nuaimi was set at JD5,000 each, Mousa Abdullat, the defence lawyer, said.

“The bail procedures are under way, and Tahawi and Nuaimi are expected to be released on Thursday,” Abdullat told The Jordan Times over the phone, adding they will attend a court hearing to look into their case next Wednesday.

Both Salafists were arrested in 2011 in Zarqa Governorate, some 22km east of Amman, during their participation in a “peaceful sit-in” at the rise of “the Arab Spring”, when a group of thugs attacked the Salafist march, the lawyer explained.

“At the incident, security authorities arrested some 200 people, around 150 of whom were Salafists,” Abdullat added.

The two leaders were charged with conducting terrorist acts, sowing sedition and sectarianism, and carrying out riots, the defence lawyer noted.

Abdullat said Nuaimi on Wednesday finished a 60-day hunger strike, during which he was admitted to hospital several times and was in critical condition.

He commended the bail decision, calling on the government to reconsider its approach to the Jihadi Salafist movement.

He noted that some 70 to 80 Jihadi Salafists face different charges before the SSC.