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AMMAN — Iraq is ready to double its exports of crude oil to Jordan at preferential prices, according to Iraqi Oil Minister Abdul Kareem Al Luaibi.

“If the Jordanian authorities ask for increasing the shipments of crude oil, we are willing to double them at preferential prices,” the minister told The Jordan Times last week.

The official said supplies of crude oil from Iraq to the Kingdom stopped last month as the contract with the transportation company expired.

Under the previous contract, Iraq exported 10,000 barrels of oil to Jordan per day at $18 less than the price on the world market per barrel. Baghdad has recently offered the vital commodity at $20 lower than the market price per barrel.

“We are waiting for Jordan to name a company to start transporting the new shipments,” said Luaibi.

“The shipments over the past few months were disrupted due to the security conditions in Al Anbar governorate, which is adjacent to the border with Jordan, but the route is now safe and secured and we are ready to export oil anytime,” said the official.

Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources Mohammad Hamed said that the decision to select a new transporter falls to the Jordan Petroleum Refinery Company.

Hamed told The Jordan Times that there is a dire need for expanding the refinery to be able to process larger quantities of Iraqi crude oil, especially since the Kingdom will start receiving about 150,000 barrels of oil from a planned pipeline that will transfer oil from Iraq’s Basra to Aqaba.

Jordan’s daily consumption of oil at present stands at about 100,000 barrels, according to figures by the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources.

By Muath Freij

AMMAN — Through her camera lens, young photographer Nadia Bseiso sought to shed light on the lives of migrant workers in Jordan.

After two years of work to prepare her project, the Jordanian artist is currently presenting around 44 photographs at her exhibition “High Hopes” at Zara Gallery to show people what kind of life foreign workers in Jordan lead outside of work.

“Guest workers are human beings and they do have their own private lives, so I wanted to show the activities of numerous workers outside their workplace,” she told The Jordan Times in a recent interview. 

Bseiso’s exhibition is part of the fourth edition of the Image Festival, organised by Institut Français in cooperation with Darat Al Tasweer.  

The 28-year-old photographer noted that the main aim behind her photos is to raise public awareness of this issue. 

Bseiso first thought of the project after she went to Italy in 2009 to study photography. 

“I found out that there are a number of Arabs who moved to Italy either for political reasons or because they wanted to work,” she said. 

After she finished studying documentary photography in Italy in 2011, she came home and decided to search for migrant workers in Jordan and work on a project documenting their lives. 

“I found out that many guest workers in Jordan came from East Asia, in addition to a great number from Egypt,” Bseiso added. 

She said a photographer should establish a good rapport with the person he/she takes photos of, recounting that sometimes she only takes one photo or even does not use her camera and listens to their stories instead.  

“I built a trust with the people I met. I used to visit them at their residence. I am still maintaining contact with some of them even after the end of the project.”

Bseiso noted that Friday was the most important day of the week for her in documenting the lives of guest workers.

“This day enabled me to see their normal life and what they do in their leisure time.” 

Bseiso said she managed to meet these workers after she joined Tamkeen Fields for Aid in their field visits. 

She noted that the exhibition, which continues until March 31, provides her with the chance to receive people’s feedback.

“The exhibition is divided into three sections: legal and illegal factory workers, Egyptian farmers and domestic helpers,” the photographer added.

Bseiso said she is planning to follow up on her project and see what the future of her subjects looks like. 

AMMAN — Syrian refugees at the Zaatari Refugee Camp consume four million litres of water every day, camp director Col. Zaher Abu Shihab said on Sunday.

In a statement to the Jordan News Agency, Petra, Abu Shihab said water is pumped from several nearby wells and transported via tankers to the camp.

"One of the gates in the eastern part of the camp was assigned for this purpose," he added.

Zaatari camp is located 10 kilometres east of Mafraq, which is 80km northeast of Amman.

It was opened mid 2012 to host Syrians fleeing their war-torn country.

AMMAN — Jordan on Friday asked the international community to help it continue its efforts to protect children’s rights.

During a Security Council session, Minister Plenipotentiary Mahmoud Hmoud said there is a gap in the Middle East regarding the protection of child rights.

Hmoud said the Syrian crisis is affecting neighbouring countries, especially Jordan, which is hosting a great number of Syrian refugees, most of whom are children.

He noted that Jordan allows Syrian children to enrol in public schools, forcing 80 per cent of schools to work two shifts.

Some 86,000 Syrian students are enrolled in public schools, while 21,000 students have been taking classes at camp schools since the beginning of the Syrian crisis in March 2011.

AMMAN — Ziad Aslan was sworn in before Prime Minister Abdullah Ensour on Saturday as revenues and customs commissioner at the Development and Free Zones Commission.

AMMAN — The Cabinet on Saturday issued a guidebook on boosting partnerships in the area of strategic government planning, prepared by the Ministry of Public Sector Development.

The guidebook seeks to boost the culture of consultation and collective work in strategic planning in government departments and to provide them with the proper tools to achieve that, according to Public Sector Development Minister Khleef Al Khawaldeh.

He said the ministry will hold workshops to raise awareness on the guidebook and its contents, prepared in line with Royal directives on decentralisation.

AMMAN — Jordanian students’ educational and health conditions in Ukraine are excellent, Higher Education Minister Amin Mahmoud said on Saturday, according to the Jordan News Agency, Petra.

A ministry statement said Mahmoud, who is currently on an official visit to Ukraine, has met with Ukrainian university presidents to check on the conditions of Jordanian students.

There are around 3,500 Jordanians studying in Ukraine.

During his visit, Mahmoud also met with several Jordanians studying in Ukraine, Petra reported.

KUALA LUMPUR — Jordan’s Ambassador to Malaysia Maher Lukasha confirmed on Saturday that there were no Jordanians on board the missing Malaysian plane that was heading to Beijing, according to the Jordan News Agency, Petra.

A multinational search operation was launched after the Malaysia Airlines Boeing 777 fell off radar screens less than an hour after it took off from Kuala Lumpur for Beijing early Saturday morning, The Associated Press reported.

Two-thirds of the missing plane’s 239 passengers were from China, while others were from elsewhere in Asia, North America and Europe, according to AP.

AMMAN — Prime Minister Abdullah Ensour on Saturday stressed the importance of collective efforts to provide the best services for Syrian refugees, especially in health and education.

Chairing a meeting of the higher steering committee entrusted with following up on the conditions of Syrian refugees, he also stressed the importance of having a sufficient number of schools to accommodate Syrian children.

Brig. Gen. Wadah Hmoud, director of the Syrian refugee camps administration, briefed the attendees on the humanitarian services it provides and its role in unifying the efforts of government and security bodies, organisations and international parties.

The committee decided to change the name of the Syrian refugee camps administration to the Syrian refugees’ administration as it will be in charge of all issues related to Syrian refugees across the country.

AMMAN — Criminal Investigation Department (CID) personnel on Saturday detained two suspects who were reportedly involved in stealing JD151,000 in the Northern Ghor District.

A Public Security Department (PSD) statement sent to The Jordan Times said a citizen called the West Irbid CID and filed a complaint that his house had been robbed.

An investigation team tracked down a suspect after studying the evidence and searched his house in central Amman where they found guns, ammunition and expensive watches.

The suspect was detained and confessed to committing the robbery in partnership with his brother, who was later found in south Amman and detained.

The PSD found JD59,500 in his car.