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AJLOUN — Prime Minister Abdullah Ensour on Monday checked on a number of development and service projects in Ajloun Governorate, some 70km northwest of Amman.

The premier, accompanied by a number of ministers, toured the Princess Haya Military Hospital, established under a Royal makruma to serve members of the army and security apparatuses, and their families in the Ajloun and Jerash governorates.

Ensour listened to a briefing by Royal Medical Services Director Maj. Gen. Khalaf Sarhan on the services that will provided by the facility.

The nine-storey hospital, slated to open in August, has a 150-bed capacity, but its infrastructure can be expanded to accommodate 300 beds, according to Sarhan.

Also during the visit, Ensour inaugurated the justice palace in Ajloun, which was established as part of the government’s efforts to build a number of model courts across Jordan in order to streamline litigation procedures.

The project was implemented by the Housing and Public Works Ministry at a cost of JD7.6 million.

Justice Minister Bassam Talhouni highlighted the aspects of the ministry’s 2014-2016 strategy, which mainly aims at training judicial staff, noting it also entails relocating courts whose buildings cannot accommodate the increasing number of citizens.

The prime minister also checked on the Great Ajloun Mosque expansion project and was briefed on obstacles that hindered its completion on schedule.

Ensour underlined the significance of the Umayyad mosque, which was built in 1246 by the last Ayyubid sultan, Najmuddin Ayyub, as a tourist attraction.

Awqaf Minister Hayel Dawood said around 89 per cent of the project was completed, expecting the expansion to cost around JD2.87 millionand conclude by mid-May.

The premier concluded his tour with a visit to the Kufranjeh Dam, which has the capacity to store around 6.7 million cubic metres of water.

Saed Abu Hammour, secretary general of the Jordan Valley Water Authority, stressed the importance of the JD26 million dam, expected to be completed by 2015, in improving the supply of irrigation water in the Jordan Valley area.

AMMAN — His Majesty King Abdullah on Monday received Israeli opposition leader and head of the Labour Party, Isaac Herzog. 

They discussed the US-brokered efforts to achieve peace between the Palestinians and the Israelis on the basis of the two-state solution, which would lead to the establishment of an independent Palestinian state that lives side by side with Israel in peace and security. 

The meeting came on the heels of previous talks held by King Abdullah with head of the Likud Party, and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The unannounced visit by the Israeli premier on January 16
was aimed at discussing the Israeli-Palestinian negotiations which are currently at a critical point due to a stalemate.

This faltering in negotiations is mainly blamed on a promised Israeli prisoner release for the Palestinians, scheduled for the end of March, but did not take place.

In response to this development, US Secretary of State John Kerry flew to the Middle East on Monday.

AMMAN — The State Security Court on Monday concluded hearing defence witness testimonies in the ongoing trial of 11 Jordanians charged with plotting a series of Al Qaeda-inspired terror attacks across Amman.

In the brief session, defence attorney Taher Nassar requested a stay in proceedings  from the court, citing “intimidation” and a conflict in schedules behind his team’s failure to produce witnesses in the so-called 11/9 terror plot trial for the second straight session.

Presiding Judge Ahmad Tarawneh turned down Nassar’s request, insisting that the trial proceed as previously scheduled, setting a final court session for April 14.

The 11 defendants face up to life in prison for their alleged involvement in the foiled terror plot targeting Western diplomatic missions and shopping centres in Amman in October 2012.

The defendants are accused of having active ties with Al Qaeda in Iraq, now known as the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, and of travelling to Syria to receive funding and training to target various sites in a series of suicide and “guerrilla” style attacks.

In the initial charge sheet, security officials said the 11 men had received explosives and rockets from Syria to carry out the alleged attacks, which were to coincide with the anniversary of the November 9, 2005, Amman hotel bombings.

Relatives and the defendants, all aged between 19 and 22, deny any affiliation to Al Qaeda or other Islamist movements.

The court is set to issue its final verdict on April 21.

Meanwhile, a Jordanian charged with supporting jihadists groups in Syria was hospitalised on Monday after allegedly suffering heart problems.

Khaldoun Al Masri, a 26-year-old Amman resident, was taken to Prince Hamzah Hospital after he complained of shortness of breath and heart palpitations, according to security officials.

In a court session on Monday, Khaldoun’s co-defendants Murad Abu Baker and Muhannad Othman claimed that authorities transferred Masri on Monday after he spent three weeks in solitary confinement suffering shortness of breath and blackouts.

Security officials said Masri is currently listed in stable condition and remains hospitalised for further observation.

In light of Masri’s absence, the court moved to delay the three men’s trial to April 7.

Masri, Abu Baker and Othman, who were arrested near the Jordanian-Syrian border in October 2013, face charges of “joining armed groups in Syria” and “engaging in acts deemed illegal by the government”.

According to the initial charge sheet, the three men had intended to join the forces of Al Qaeda-linked Jabhat Al Nusra group.

The defendants deny the charges, claiming to have been “peaceful supporters” of the Syrian Islamist group.

AMMAN — The Lower House-based Mubadara alliance is moving from theoretical to practical stages, with a clear vision to deliver in the next few months, members of the initiative said on Monday.

“We support any government as long as it sticks to our programme and agreed upon policies,” former Lower House speaker Saad Hayel Srour, who was recently selected as president of the initiative, said at its first press conference.

Mubadara, which seeks to become a shadow government with a clear platform to address key national issues, has already delivered results, MP Mustafa Hamarneh, the group’s general coordinator told reporters.

“We have a clear plan to help any government, not just this one, overcome the current difficult economic situation,” he told The Jordan Times following the press conference.

The initiative has engaged with the government in efforts to find solutions to deep-rooted problems, including human rights and education.

For almost a year, the group sought to partner with the government and pave the way for a shadow government, a novel practice in the country’s parliamentary history.

The aim is to make sure that practical solutions to the country’s problems are available, Srour added, noting that Mubadara is not a “government party”, rather, it applies the roles of real “opposition” powers, as in major parliaments across the globe.

The two lawmakers and their team focused on the outcomes of their efforts. 

“Yes, we delivered results” through legal and political means, Hamarneh said, stressing that such accomplishments have never been achieved by the Lower House in this manner before.

Most recently, the group, which has attracted 29 members from the 150-strong House, agreed with the government to grant the children of Jordanian women married to foreigners full civil rights.

The move sparked criticism from tribal figures and others, who charged that it constitutes a prelude to settling Palestinian refugees permanently in Jordan, a claim that Srour dismissed as “baseless”.

“We respect those who criticise our work,” he said, noting that the initiative is now delivering and will keep on progressing.

The initiative unveiled several policy papers on various sectors, after it concluded discussions with the concerned ministers and their teams.

The documents, made available to The Jordan Times, list specific measures to address the challenges facing each sector.

“We have spent 100 hours of debates with the government over such documents before we agreed on them as government policies,” Hamarneh said. 

The released documents cover education, energy, tourism, support for small- and medium-sized enterprises, public expenditure, agriculture and public transportation. Hamarneh said more documents will be released soon.

The initiative was behind the resumption of work on the multimillion-dinar Abdali development project.

The project was facing major challenges that caused suspension of construction work and delayed its completion. 

In this context, the Decent Housing for Decent Living project will be the next issue on the table with the government, according to a member of Mubadara who spoke on condition of anonymity.

The initiative has also opened several sensitive files, according to Hamarneh, and called for publishing a “white book” to reveal the truth about allegations of corrupt practices in the past few years.

In the political development arena, Mubadara will propose new constitutional amendments. 

“We will not touch His Majesty King Abdullah’s power,” Hamarneh said. But the proposed amendments will enhance the legislative authority’s performance, ensuring that a Lower House speaker remains in office for two years rather serving for one ordinary session of Parliament that lasts six months.

The coalition will also release recommendations on the political parties, elections, and press and publication laws, its members said, adding that they will monitor the government’s implementation of the agreed-upon policy papers as members of the legislative authority.

AMMAN – The Economic Policy Development Forum (EPDF), a leading think tank, on Sunday welcomed the directives of His Majesty King Abdullah to the government to draw up a 10-year blueprint for economic development.  

On Saturday, King Abdullah directed the government to draw up a clear 10-year goal-oriented plan for the economy that should result in a stronger economy, in both macroeconomic and monetary aspects, and ensure consistency, increased competitiveness and productivity, and self-reliance.

The ultimate goal, His Majesty said, is to achieve comprehensive development and ensure Jordanians a “decent living and hope for a better future”.

He added that the success of devising this blueprint hinges on adopting a participatory and consultative approach towards all stakeholders, namely governmental institutions, Parliament, the private sector, civil society organisations and local communities.

The EPDF, initiated by Talal Abu-Ghazaleh Organisation (TAG-Org), commended in a statement to The Jordan Times the King’s directives and prudent vision to boost and strengthen the pillars of the fiscal and monetary policy, promote and improve the competitiveness of the national economy and secure a decent living for Jordanians. 

The EPDF includes former decision makers, parliamentarians, leading economists and businesspeople. 

The forum chairman, Talal Abu-Ghazaleh, founder and president of TAG-Org, said a task force will be working on drafting the Jordan 2022 future economic vision on the occasion of marking the 100th anniversary of the Kingdom’s establishment, adding that the letter of the King to the government will be the core document of the panel work. 

He noted that the forum will form several committees to develop a long-term economic plan based on the issues addressed by King Abdullah. 

Abu-Ghazaleh said his organisation will present a final report on the economy to decision makers to decide what is appropriate for the country. 

The EPDF announced in the statement that the founding meeting of the task force for “drafting Jordan 2022 future vision” would be held on April 16.

AMMAN — His Majesty King Abdullah on Sunday stressed the importance of building on the outcome of the Privatisation Evaluation Committee (PEC) report by utilising its results in drawing up economic strategies, and boosting the partnership between the public and the private sectors. 

During a meeting with PEC members, attended by Prime Minister Abdullah Ensour who had received the report earlier Sunday, the King commended the committee’s efforts, stressing that the government should conduct an in-depth study of the report to assess the reality on the ground, a Royal Court statement said on Sunday.

The government should adopt the panel’s recommendations as it devises future strategies, in accordance with the directives appearing in the Royal letter to the premier on Saturday, the statement said.    

The committee’s report coincided with the letter in which His Majesty called for drawing up a clear plan on the economy for the coming decade. 

In the letter, the King said it is of utmost urgency that the government devises an economic blueprint to guide our national economy over the next 10 years. This economic blueprint should have a comprehensive framework targeting the following: enhancing financial and monetary policies and assuring their consistency; improving economic competitiveness; enhancing values of high productivity and self-reliance to realise sustainable and comprehensive development; and securing “decent living standards and a promising bright future for the men and women of our beloved Jordan”.

The King highlighted the need to benefit from the report and to have it published so that everybody may have a chance to get acquainted with its content, noting that success is not determined by not making mistakes, but through the ability to draw lessons from them. 

At the meeting, the King was briefed by Omar Razzaz, who heads PEC, on the different aspects and course of the committee’s work since its formation, and the stages that the report, which was submitted to the government, had gone through. 

Razzaz highlighted foremost of the results included in the report, noting that the committee based its assessment of the privatisation process “on facts and figures”.

The meeting was also attended by Royal Court Chief Fayez Tarawneh and Director of King’s Office Imad Fakhoury.   

PEC was formed last year, upon a Royal directive to Ensour, comprising a group of local and international experts in the field of economic and social policies who were tasked with assessing privatisation policies and transactions. 

In an interview with the Jordan News Agency, Petra, Razzaz said that the report’s foremost outcome is that the privatisation programme achieved significant results that were highlighted in the findings. However, he said, there were some failures and these were also pinpointed. “This is because we strongly believe that successful countries are not the ones which do not make mistakes, but are those which learn from their mistakes.” 

Decision makers, the panel’s head said, would review and document these mistakes and make use of them as they build their future vision so as not to repeat them, he said.

Razzaz added that the most important results fall under three main categories: Strategic, legislative and executive. In the strategic dimension, it was necessary to shed light on the credibility and transparency of all privatisation transactions, he noted.

Regarding the legislative aspect, the report highlighted an urgent need for drafting a law on the partnership between the public and the private sectors.

The law should be based on the points of strength that the two sides exhibit, in a manner that identifies roles and responsibilities and safeguards the rights of citizens and the state in national resources. For Jordan, there is no alternative for this partnership in light of the need to attract large investments, Razzaz pointed out. 

He also stressed the need to carry out follow-ups on the privatised companies “to avert loopholes regarding companies’ commitment to fulfilling their responsibilities”.

From the executive perspective, Razzaz explained that the report included a set of recommendations on the rights of workers whose services were terminated and who were not legally entitled to combine social security and civil service pension allowances. Other aspects had to do with consumer protection and ways to enhance competitiveness. 

He also said that hiding information and facts from public opinion had created a state of uncertainty and scepticism among average citizens regarding the privatisation process. This situation remained unchanged until the Royal directives were issued to the government to conduct a comprehensive review of all privatised entities and to also check on the mechanisms and procedures followed, and their social and economic effects. 

Regarding the work of the committee, Razzaz added that the committee answered eight questions about each privatisation case. The questions were: Why did the government choose the privatisation option in the case concerned? Did the government follow the proper administrative, constitutional and legal procedures? Were these companies assessed properly? Did their performance improve after privatisation? Did citizens and workers at these companies have enough information? How were workers at these companies affected? How did privatisation affect the macro-economy? and where did the privatisation revenues go? 

He also said that the team which studied each privatisation case included economic, audit, financial and legal experts in their individual capacity or who represented companies that were not involved in the privatisation to ensure complete neutrality and objectivity.

International Finance Corporation’s Principal Country Officer Ahmad Attiga, also a committee member, said that the privatisation study was conducted to assess all privatisation aspects in Jordan. 

He said that the committee’s recommendations would attract international institutions to play a future role in developing the private sector, and the partnership between the private and the public sectors, in both financial or advisory terms. 

He also said that privatisation had some loopholes, which would require all concerned parties to avoid such mistakes as they proceed with the privatisation experience successfully, in a way that meets the Jordanian people’s and the private sector’s needs in attracting new investments in a sustainable manner.

Chairperson of the Islamic Solidarity Fund for Development, affiliated with Islamic Development Bank, Bashir Omar Fadlallah, a committee member, said that what made the study special was that Jordan is the first country in the region that chose willingly to make a comprehensive assessment to privatisation, “which will have a positive effect on Jordan’s assessment in the world transparency table”.

Fadlallah said that the committee’s report is a serious step to stand at facts, a matter that will contribute to attracting foreign investments from the international private sector into the Kingdom. 

He added that the committee’s findings should be used to devise future policies which King Abdullah directed the government to prepare, noting that the premier had promised to incorporate the panel’s recommendations into future economic policies. 

European Bank for Reconstruction and Development member Ivan Mclaws, also a PEC member, told Petra that the process was critical to Jordan to improve companies’ performance and increase the competitiveness of the Jordanian economy. 

He highlighted the success of privatisation process in Jordan when compared to some European countries, since privatisation in Jordan was accomplished professionally and at a high organisational level, due to the availability of specialised, experienced institutions in administrating the economic market in the Kingdom. 

Mclaws also stressed the importance of exerting more efforts to educate Jordanian citizens on the reasons for any privatisation project in the future and the goals it seeks to achieve, create awareness for better understanding of the privatisation drives, and carry out procedures with more transparency and competition among strategic partners who care about publicising the procedures and transfer expertise and technology. 

Launching the report

Also on Sunday, PEC revealed its findings on privatisation deals since 1989. 

The panel released the report and its findings and recommendations at a special ceremony attended by Ensour, ministers and parliamentarians as well as a number of private sector representatives.

The committee, which included members from the International Finance Corporation (IFC), the Islamic Development Bank and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development in addition to other Jordanian experts, started its work in March last year after the King directed Ensour in the Letter of Designation late 2012 to review all privatisation deals –– which have triggered public debate in the Kingdom. 

The panel, according to Razzaz has reviewed privatisation deals of 15 companies that used to be state-owned in addition to investigating licensing and contracts of four other firms. 

The deals were mainly in the fields of mining, telecommunications, water, transport and aviation. 

According to Razzaz, revenues generated from privatisation reached JD1.7 billion, of which around JD1.5 billion went to paying the Kingdom’s debts. 

The study found that some deals were made in a transparent manner and in accordance with the law, while others lacked transparency and violated the law, he said, adding that the privatisation programme did not contradict the Constitution. 

The report cited that the privatisation process of the phosphate company was the result of direct negotiations and not according to offers presented by various investors. 

In his address at the event, Ensour said that the privatisation process has been a source of heated public debate as there are some people who believe that selling key companies to the private sector would boost their performance while others believe privatisation has made economic conditions in the Kingdom worse than they had been. 

The premier indicated that neither the government nor any official agency interfered in the work of the committee. 

IFC representative Attiga said that good governance should always be followed when implementing privatisation or public-private partnerships. 

Fadlallah reiterated that Jordan was the only country in the region to review the privatisation process, reasserting that the committee worked in a neutral and transparent manner. 

This step to review the privatisation programme will boost Jordan’s transparency ranking in international reports and will send positive signs to investors, he said. 

Mclaws said that Jordan was the first country in the world, not only in the region, to review privatisation, indicating that authorities should have enhanced public awareness on the programme in a bid to avoid scepticism and rumours. 

He urged officials to follow best international transparency and competitiveness practices when they plan to enter partnerships with private firms. 

AMMAN — His Majesty King Abdullah and Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al Thani on Sunday underlined their commitment to boosting cooperation at all levels to serve the interests of the two countries and Arab causes. 

During a meeting, the two leaders stressed the need to continue coordinating stands and consultations vis-à-vis regional and Arab issues, according to a Royal Court statement. 

Discussions also covered the latest developments in the Middle East.

The meeting, which continued over a lunch banquet held in honour of the Qatari emir, was attended by HRH Prince Ali, Royal Court Chief Fayez Tarawneh, King’s Office Director Imad Fakhoury and King’s Adviser and Rapporteur of the National Policies Council Abdullah Saleh Wreikat. 

This was the first time Sheikh Tamim has visited the Kingdom after he rose to power in the Gulf state last year.

Upon his arrival, he remarked that the visit would enable him to exchange views with the Monarch on issues related to Arab and Islamic causes, particularly in light of the “critical” situation and huge challenges facing the Arab nation.

The visit came after Doha’s ties with three other Gulf monarchies, namely, Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Bahrain, were strained over bilateral and regional files.

Arab leaders were encouraged in their just-concluded summit in Kuwait to work for mending fences between their states and cast off differences.

Jordan has maintained a neutral “non-interference” stand on the Gulf crisis.

The commercial sector welcomed the visit of the emir.

In a statement carried by the Jordan News Agency, Petra, Jordan Chamber of Commerce President Nael Kabariti said the visit is prone to boost the economic relations between the two countries. 

He described Qatari investments as very important to Jordan, pointing out that they have created a considerable number of job opportunities for Jordanians. 

Kabariti highlighted continued contacts and coordination between the representatives of the Jordanian and Qatari private sector, noting that Doha’s economic assistance to Amman is significant as far as national economy is concerned. 

AMMAN — Acknowledging the severe impact of the Syrian crisis on the Kingdom, the EU has provided more than 225 million euros of humanitarian and development aid to Jordan over the last two years in support of refugees and host communities.

According to the annual European Neighbourhood Package (ENP) 2013 Country Progress Report on Jordan, published late last week by the European Commission, EU-Jordan cooperation continued in 2013 and adapted to current circumstances, mainly the Syrian crisis and its consequences on Jordan

“The country has been severely affected since 2011 by the Syrian crisis which is causing increasing socio-economic challenges,” the report said.

“Jordan has been facing a steady and continuous wave of refugees from Syria [by the end of December more than 584,600 officially registered with the UNCHCR] straining the country’s natural resources [notably water],” it added. 

The refugee influx has had an impact on the Kingdom’s economy and continues to exert “tremendous pressure” on its educational system and healthcare services, according to the EU report, a copy of which was sent to The Jordan Times.

The annual ENP report on Jordan underlined key developments and reform efforts in 2013, and offered recommendations for 2014.

In 2013, the report said, Jordan acted upon a number of “key recommendations” in the previous ENP progress report, notably the adoption of an anti-corruption strategy and ratification of the regional convention on pan-Euro-Mediterranean preferential rules of origin. 

Other key recommendations made previously remain valid.

Urging the Kingdom to continue pursuing reform and enforce adopted laws, the EU called on Jordan to repeal or amend by October 1 all laws in line with the 2011 constitutional amendments.

Jordan should build “a more consensual, inclusive, participatory and open political system” by amending the “electoral legal framework, and strengthening the independence and impartiality of the judiciary and its administrative capacity”.

The report called on Jordan to take concrete steps to eradicate violence against women and promote further integration of women into politics, economic affairs, education and employment. 

The Kingdom should also move forward with the ratification of the Optional Protocol to the Convention Against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment. 

The EU report said Jordan should ensure freedom of expression and freedom of the media by amending the Penal Code to ensure that relevant violations are no longer referred to the State Security Court. 

On the condition of press freedoms, the report said around 250 websites were blocked as they did not register and obtain a licence from the Press and Publications Department. 

“Arrests related to freedom of expression continued in 2013,” it added.

In other recommendations of an economic and financial nature, the EU advised Jordan to continue implementing the stand-by agreement with the International Monetary Fund, including addressing the issues of tax reform.

The report called for taking “determined action” to improve the business and investment environment through legislative and regulatory measures, with a view to enhancing growth.

“Reforms initiated, carried out successfully, or delayed during 2012 in the different areas of cooperation between the EU and Jordan are described in the annual country report. Some of the issues reported deserve special attention,” the report said.

“Corruption remained a matter of serious concern… No progress can be reported in enhancing the effectiveness and independence of the judiciary.”

In relation to free movement of goods and technical regulations, the report said Jordan continued working towards establishing the adequate institutional and legal basis for negotiating the Agreement on Conformity Assessment and Acceptance of Industrial Products aimed at facilitating the access of Jordanian industrial products to the EU internal market and vice-versa.

“The EU-Jordan Dialogue on Migration, Mobility and Security continued in 2013. Discussions were fruitful and negotiations for a joint declaration establishing a mobility partnership between the EU and Jordan were launched in December,” the ENP report said.

AMMAN — The Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) and UNICEF on Sunday inaugurated a training centre at the UAE–run Mreijib Al Fhoud Camp that will offer a range of informal technical and vocational courses for young Syrian refugees.

The programme, supported by the UK’s Department for International Development (DFID), is drawing considerable attention with more than 250 Syrians aged between 16 and 32 already enrolled prior to the official opening date, according to an NRC-UNICEF statement.  

The centre was inaugurated in the presence of UAE Ambassador Abdullah Nasser Al Ameri, British Ambassador Peter Millett, UNICEF Jordan Representative Rozanne Chorlton and NRC Country Director Robert Beer.

“Youth are too often marginalised and forgotten in emergencies. That’s why NRC has specialised programmes that directly engage youth and their communities to enhance both their skills and personal capacities,” the statement quoted Beer as saying.

The programme includes several training disciplines, including tailoring, electrical wiring, IT and business skills, as well as supporting classes in Arabic, mathematics and life skills. Several entrepreneurial skills such as office management and marketing are also taught.

In addition, the programme offers classes in sports, arts, handicrafts and gardening, and has a library dedicated to its students. 

“NRC is replicating many of its Zaatari informal education functions in the [Mreijib Al Fhoud] refugee camp to cater to one of the most vulnerable groups within the refugee community,” Beer added. 

More than 1,000 students have benefited from the NRC-UNICEF Youth Programme in Zaatari since its inception in early 2013.  

The programme aims to offer an environment that gives a sense of normality, purpose and hope to vulnerable youths who are forced to live in refugee camps, the statement said.

“Syrian youth and adolescents are desperately in need of things to do and safe places to do them in. Opportunities that offer vocational training and build their life skills can help them make the most of an extremely tough situation,” Chorlton said.

“These programmes are crucial in ensuring they can better deal with their experiences of conflict and displacement,” she added.