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AMMAN — The Jabal Amman Residents Association (JARA) has announced that the 10th Souk JARA will kick off on Friday and continue until September 26.

Souk JARA 2014 will showcase a number of projects that aim to recycle scrap materials to become art pieces, according to a statement from the association.

“This comes as part of the souk’s message to raise awareness about the importance of recycling to preserve the environment of the city of Amman [and] reduce negative consumerist habits,” the statement said.

“These kinds of initiatives may lead, in the long term, to the creation of new job opportunities in the creative sector,” said Khader Qawwas, vice president and acting president of JARA.

AMMAN — An exhibition showcasing the work of a group of young adults with disabilities involved in the Bayt Silsal initiative at Ruwwad Al Tanmeya organisation concluded on Monday.

Founded by Jordanian Artist Rula Atalla in partnership with Ruwwad Al Tanmeya, Bayt Silsal currently provides 16 young men and women with disabilities “a creative space to experiment with and produce various types of artwork”, according to a statement released by Ruwwad Al Tanmeya on Monday.

The “Bayt Silsal at Ruwwad” exhibition, which was held at Wadi Finan Art Gallery near Rainbow Street, featured large canvas drawings, hand-drawn cushions and ceramic bowls that were the outcome of weekly art workshops led by Jordanian artist Hani Alqam.

AMMAN — Jordan has been able to forge steadily ahead with steps to achieve comprehensive reform despite regional circumstances, His Majesty King Abdullah said on Monday.

Delivering a lecture at the Royal College of Defence Studies in London, the King described the drive towards comprehensive reform as “a strategic option” that is in line with the aspirations of Jordanians for a better future. 

Addressing members of the college staff and students, the King said Jordan — in response to the adverse effects of regional changes — has sought to promote a culture of tolerance, dialogue and co-existence as an alternative to hard-line positions, bigotry and close-mindedness. 

His Majesty highlighted the steady strides the Kingdom has made towards reform, citing amendments to the Constitution and the drafting of laws regulating freedoms, political life and parties, according to a Royal Court statement. 

In parallel, the country has worked on political, economic and legislative reform, and on strengthening the spirit of citizenship, built on the basis of democracy, freedom of expression and broadening public participation in decision making, he said.  

Within the context of an integral reform approach, Jordan has adopted a comprehensive national charter on integrity, oversight and transparency, in a manner that boosts citizens’ confidence in state institutions, safeguards their rights and meets their aspirations, the King added.

The Monarch noted that the government will work in partnership with Parliament to boost good governance and enhance citizens’ participation in decision making, in accordance with a roadmap for decentralisation.

Jordan is continuing with its efforts to develop various pieces of legislation that promote political reform, including municipalities and elections laws, he added.

Turning to regional developments, the King reaffirmed Jordan’s position in support of a comprehensive political solution to the Syrian crisis that guarantees the unity of Syria’s territory and people, warning against the fallout of the crisis’ continuation on the Syrian people, neighbouring countries and the entire region.

He highlighted the growing burdens that the Kingdom is shouldering as a result of the continued influx of Syrian refugees, which exceeds its limited resources, calling on the international community to double its assistance to the Kingdom to enable it to perform its humanitarian mission. 

The King highlighted the responsibility that the international community and key regional powers should shoulder to preclude the spread of confusion and chaos. 

Referring to the Middle East peace process, His Majesty said the opportunity to support Palestinian- Israeli negotiations should not be wasted in order to revive the peace process in a manner that leads to the establishment of a Palestinian state on Palestinian national soil, living side by side with Israel, in accordance with the two-state solution. 

On the sidelines of the lecture, the King met with students at the college, including Arabs and Jordanians.

Established in 1927, the defence college prepares officers and officials of the UK, and future leaders from the private and public sectors for high responsibilities by developing their analytical powers, knowledge of defence and international security and strategic vision. 

Later in the day, the King left for California to continue his working visit, according to the Royal Court Twitter account. 

AMMAN — Ukraine has thanked the Greater Amman Municipality for naming a street in the capital after poet Taras Shevchenko, according to a Ukraine embassy statement released Monday.

At a meeting with Amman Mayor Aqel Biltaji, Ambassador of Ukraine Serhiy Pasko thanked Jordan for supporting Ukraine.

Discussions covered bilateral issues, the current situations in Ukraine and in the Middle East, and the possibility of establishing a Ukrainian park next to Taras Shevchenko Street, the statement said.

AMMAN — Secretary General of the Palestinian National Initiative Mustafa Barghouthi on Monday called for drawing up a new strategy to deal with the Israeli occupation.

Delivering a lecture at the University of Jordan, he said the core of the strategy should be based on popular resistance, adding that it should work to change the balance of power to support the Palestinians’ steadfastness and to pressure the international community into forcing Israel to implement UN resolutions.

Barghouthi said 10,000 houses of Palestinians in Jerusalem are threatened due to illegal settlement expansion, while 120 houses have already been demolished in the Palestinian town of Salwan to set up a garden for Jewish settlers.

AMMAN — Jordanian hotels have been witnessing high occupancy rates during this season, reaching around 100 per cent during the first quarter of this year, Jordan Hotel Association Director Yassar Al Majali said Monday.

Occupancy rates have also doubled in this month, Majali noted, attributing the increase to the beginning of the summer season.

AMMAN — The Public Security Department (PSD) media centre on Monday said the police arrested an Arab suspect who was going to smuggle illegal drugs into a nearby country.

The suspect was arrested at a border crossing, and 290,000 illegal pills were found stashed in his vehicle.

The suspect told interrogators that three other people were helping him in the smuggling attempt.

Two of his alleged partners were detained after further investigation, and the case was referred to the prosecutor general.

AMMAN — Mustafa Momani, spokesperson of the striking engineers at the Jordan Petroleum Refinery Company (JPRC), on Monday said the strike costs the JPRC around JD0.5 million on a daily basis.

The loss is due to the suspension of work on the hydrogen production units, as the company cannot run them in the absence of the engineers.

The open-ended strike entered its second day on Monday.

The engineers want a pay raise in order to be equal with their peers in other mining firms such as the potash and phosphate companies.

AMMAN — HRH Prince Raad, the Chief Chamberlain, on Monday attended a ceremony held by the Swedish Organisation for Individual Relief (SOIR) on the occasion of a national week for persons with disabilities titled “The Right to Education for Children with Mental Disability”.

SOIR Director Zinat Abu Shanab said Jordan has taken “huge steps” to safeguard the rights of people with disabilities and ensure their integration into the community.

HRH Princess Majda Raad and HH Prince Mired, president of the Higher Council for the Affairs of Persons with Disabilities attnded the cererony.

AMMAN – Over the past two days, Arab policy makers and International Monetary Fund (IMF) officials debated policies that can achieve macroeconomic stability in the region, job creation for the young, a better business climate and more transparency in both the public and private sectors.

Under the theme “Building the Future: Jobs, Growth and Fairness in the Arab World”, the high-level conference saw the participation of Prime Minister Abdullah Ensour and IMF Managing Director Christine Lagarde, who said the event covered issues that touch the lives of the region’s inhabitants.

Over 200 representatives of the private sector, academia, civil society and media also attended the two-day meeting, organised by the government, the Arab Fund for Economic and Social Development, and the IMF. 

Policy makers and experts stressed the need to improve government spending in Arab countries in order to achieve inclusive growth. 

Participants also highlighted the importance of transparency and good governance, as well as establishing more accountability of the state vis-à-vis its citizens.  

Creating more jobs for the younger generation is the most pressing challenge for regional countries and should top decision makers’ priorities, policy makers acknowledged, stressing the importance of redefining the role of the state away from being an employer to becoming an enabler for a dynamic private sector, creating education systems that provide bridges to productive employment. 

Ensour and Lagarde participated in a panel session on economic transitions in the Arab world on Monday. 

The premier said that economic reform is a process that involves several elements, including decisions, for whose implementation, timing, credibility, communications and commitment are essential.

He also briefed the audience on the success of Jordan’s reform drive over the years, which he attributed to the leadership’s and policy makers’ ability to foresee events and act accordingly, adding that engaging the public also helped push forward the reform agenda.

Lagarde said reforms in all areas will take time, stressing the importance of “starting the process now”.

In the short run, and if sufficient additional external financing can be mobilised, scaling up public investment could make an important and visible contribution to reducing unemployment, she said.