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AMMAN — HRH Princess Basma on Tuesday met with the Most Rev. Katherine Jefferts Schori, presiding bishop of the Episcopal Church in the US, who is currently on a visit to the Kingdom as part of a regional tour.  

Discussions at the meeting covered the situation in the Middle East and the need to bring about peace and stability for the people of the region.

Talks also focused on women’s challenges and achievements, in addition to initiatives implemented in Jordan to empower women. 

The princess highlighted the importance of Schori’s visit and commended the quality of services provided by the Jerusalem Princess Basma Centre for Disabled Children, which is affiliated with the Episcopal Church in the holy city. 

The first woman to assume this post, Schori is the 26th presiding bishop of the Episcopal Church and serves as chief pastor and primate to the Episcopal Church’s members in 16 countries and 110 dioceses. 

During the meeting, Bishop Suheil Dawani, from the Episcopal Diocese of Jerusalem, referred to the attacks against holy sites in Jerusalem, particularly the Islamic ones, stressing the need for the Hashemites to continue playing their role as custodians of the holy sites in the city.     

Meanwhile, Farah Daghistani, executive director of the Jordanian Hashemite Fund for Human Development, highlighted the fund’s programmes that aim to develop local communities. 

AMMAN — The Anti-Narcotics Department (AND) on Tuesday announced the arrest of two people, including a post office worker, who allegedly smuggled illegal narcotic pills into the country via airmail parcels.

The two suspects were arrested following a 10-day surveillance operation by AND agents after the department received a tip that a parcel filled with contraband would be delivered to the Kingdom within a certain time period, a senior AND official said.

“Our agents monitored the parcel until it reached its final destination at a post office and discovered that an employee there opened it and took out some objects from it, then closed it and returned it to the delivery counter,” the official explained.

The agents then monitored the suspect and arrested him while he was “meeting a second man to deliver the objects and discovered they were illegal drugs”, the official told The Jordan Times.

Upon searching the post office employee, “agents found two more parcels and more narcotic pills,” he added.

Around 50,000 pills were found in the possession of both suspects, according to a statement released by the Public Security Department.

“We are currently questioning the two suspects to determine if they had accomplices and whether there are more parcels with illegal drugs on the way to Jordan,” the official said.

He added that the department will tighten its monitoring of post offices and discuss with officials ways to strengthen procedures to prevent such kind of smuggling operations in the future.

“This is not the first time we have thwarted a smuggling operation that used airmail parcels, but it the first time an employee has been involved and this will definitely spur us to adopt new measures in the near future to prevent such operations from taking place,” the official said.

AMMAN — The Lower House on Tuesday criticised the government for not taking stricter measures to prevent corruption, amid accusations that certain large-scale projects and public sector institutions still suffer from alleged graft practices.

In a session that witnessed government responses to deputies’ questions, MP Hayel Daaja (Amman, 1st District) charged that corruption might be involved in the construction of the northern runway at Queen Alia International Airport.

He threatened that he would take the case to the prosecutor general if the government declines to take the necessary measures to ensure that the runway is operational and to bring those who are involved in this case to justice.

Daaja noted that the airport is working at half capacity as it currently uses only one runway, while the other is still not ready due to difficulties in obtaining relevant international accreditation.

However, Transport Minister Lina Shbeeb said the issue is under investigation and that as soon as the results are ready the ministry will share them with the Lower House.

Also on Tuesday, MP Zakariya Sheikh criticised the chairman of the state-owned Jordan Water Company (Miyahuna), which manages the capital’s water and sewage.

He charged that there was some sort of mismanagement of a tender to paint the insides of 13 water tankers, as the company that implemented the project did not meet the requirements set by the Jordan Standards and Metrology Organisation. 

Sheikh said this mismanagement may have poisoned the water that citizens have already consumed.

He warned that unless proper action is taken by authorities, in particular the water minster, he will take the issue to the judicial authority to investigate further and issue a ruling on those who “play with the lives of Jordanians”.

Minster of Water Hazem Nasser told the deputy that this case has been under investigation and that most of the information cited by the MP was inaccurate.

Meanwhile, at the beginning of the session, Deputy Assaf Shobaky (Amman, 4th District) asked the MPs about their next step if the government ignores their request to expel the Israeli ambassador in Amman.

“Are we ready to propose a new vote of confidence in the government if it does not proceed with our request?” 

Several deputies supported Shobaky point of view, with some trying to provoke the government to comment during Tuesday’s session, but the Cabinet did not respond. 

AMMAN — IKEA will open its JD55-million home furnishing products store in Jordan on Thursday with plans to benefit from the Kingdom’s strategic location to export its products to neighbouring countries, Saleh Yacoub Al Homaizi, chairman of SYH Retail-IKEA, said on Tuesday.

The three-storey facility, which is built over a 42,000-square-metre area in Al Yadoudeh area, has employed around 400 Jordanians, who constitute 95 per cent of the total staff members, according to Homaizi.

“We chose to open a mega-store in Jordan due to the stability in the country and the attractive investment climate,” he told The Jordan Times in an interview on the sidelines of a press conference to announce the inauguration of the facility.

The project, a Kuwaiti investment, is IKEA’s largest store in the Middle East, according to the chairman of SYH Retail, which owns the franchise that operates the IKEA brand in Jordan, Kuwait and Morocco.

Founded in 1943 in Sweden, IKEA has 346 stores in 43 countries, including Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the UAE and Egypt.

IKEA employs 151,000 individuals in its stores around the world, which receive around 775 million visitors every year, according to a statement released by the company.

“IKEA Jordan will provide all home furnishing products in one place and offer new services that are unavailable in Jordan at present,” Homaizi added. 

He noted that IKEA conducted feasibility studies prior to opening a store in Jordan, which indicated that the project was feasible.

“There is huge scope for the furniture business in Jordan. The demand is high here. We also would like to take advantage of Jordan’s location to export to neighbouring countries such as Iraq and Syria, when the situation stabilises in the country,” Homaizi said, noting that Aqaba Port will help the company export its products to regional states.

Meanwhile, Musa Saket, a member of the Jordan Chamber of Industry board, welcomed the opening of an IKEA store. 

“Securing jobs for 400 persons means supporting 400 families. This will have a positive impact on the overall economy,” he said. 

“Any investment at this stage plays a key role in supporting the economy,” Saket told The Jordan Times over the phone. 

Noting that the presence of IKEA will increase competition in the domestic furniture sector, he said: “In my opinion, competition is healthy and very positive.”

AMMAN — Jordan has voiced concern over the latest developments in Ukraine, especially in the Crimea region, calling on all parties concerned to exercise restraint and not to resort to force. 

During a UN Security Council session that was held Monday evening, HH Prince Zeid Bin Raad, Jordan’s permanent representative to the UN, said Jordan asserts the need for respecting the sovereignty of Ukraine and safeguarding its territorial security and political independence, according to the Jordan News Agency, Petra.

Jordan called on Moscow to honour bilateral agreements with Kiev, including the 1994 Budapest Memorandum and the Treaty of Friendship, Cooperation and Partnership signed in 1997.  

It urged both parties to initiate “serious dialogue” to resolve the crisis between them. 

Moreover, he said Ukraine should take immediate measures to end the state of domestic and external tension, guarantee respect of human rights, especially of minorities, and halt any measures that may undermine these rights. 

In addition, the envoy called on the UN Security Council to shoulder its responsibilities regarding the situation in Ukraine, voicing support for mediation efforts led by UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon.

Jordan also welcomed efforts that have been made within the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe to address the current crisis and urged the UN and the organisation to coordinate their efforts in order to arrive at a peaceful solution for the crisis that would help restore Ukraine’s stability.

AMMAN — Environmental activists on Tuesday expressed their “absolute rejection” of plans to establish fish farms in Aqaba, warning against their adverse impact on marine life and coral reefs.

The Jordanian Federation for Environmental NGOs said that although two high-level committees at the Aqaba Special Economic Zone Authority (ASEZA) ruled against the project due to its negative impact on the marine life, ASEZA is still pressing ahead with the project.

A private engineering and construction company, chaired by a current parliamentarian, is planning to establish the project in the Aqaba Marine Park, according to the federation, an umbrella for eight of the Kingdom’s environmental NGOs.

“ASEZA formed two specialised committees comprising experts in marine life and biodiversity to study the project. Both committees came up with the same result, which is rejecting the project altogether,” Israa Atturk, chairwoman of the federation, said at a press conference to announce its stand against the venture.

Atturk told reporters that ASEZA currently plans to refer the project for an environmental impact assessment “in preparation for its implementation”.

“Carrying out an environmental impact assessment for the fish farms project after two high-level specialised committees disapproved it is flagrant disregard for local and international laws protecting the environment and conventions to which Jordan is signatory,” Atturk added.

The federation on Tuesday sent a letter to Environment Minister Taher Shakhshir, in which they briefed him about the project and its impact on the marine environment.

The federation also urged the minister to “take strict and precautionary measures to prevent the implementation of this dangerous and highly sensitive project” and to protect what is left of Aqaba’s coastline that is open to the public.

The fish farms are projected to be established in the Aqaba Marine Park, a nature reserve located 15 kilometres from downtown Aqaba, according to Atturk.

The government declared the seven-kilometre beach located along the southern coastline of the port city as a marine park in 1997 with the aim of protecting the marine environment from rising pollution resulting from the rapid growth of Aqaba’s population and expansion in its industrial activities, according to the park’s website.

Faisal Abu Sondos, executive director of the Royal Marine Conservation Society of Jordan (JREDS), noted that the project will deprive Aqaba residents and visitors of the last remaining beach in the Red Sea resort that is open to the public.

“Aqaba’s coastline is 27-kilometres long. Our studies show that 22 kilometres… are occupied by ports, investments and private beaches, and only five kilometres is open to the public,” Abu Sondos said during the press conference.

The marine life conservationist warned that the project will also damage Aqaba’s reputation as one of the world’s diving destinations as the fish farms will have a negative impact on the coral reef, adding that this will in turn affect socio-economic conditions in Jordan’s only sea port.

“Marine life will suffer degradation, which will affect the fish population and coral reefs, thus affecting the socio-economic conditions of fishermen and owners of glass boats,” he pointed out.

Abu Sondos said proposals for similar fish farm investments in Aqaba have been refused in the past because of their impact on aquatic life and coral reefs. He noted that Jordan had objected to fish farms in Eilat, located on Israel’s side of the Gulf of Aqaba, and they were removed.

AMMAN — His Majesty King Abdullah on Tuesday called for further promoting the values of tolerance and coexistence among Muslims and Christians, citing the important role churches play in supporting interfaith dialogue and entrenching the common elements that unite followers of different faiths.  

During a meeting with Latin Patriarch of the Holy Land and Jordan Fouad Twal, the Monarch underlined the need to continue protecting Islamic and Christian sites in the Old City and their Arab identity, calling for standing against Israeli unilateral policies and the pressures they put on the people of Jerusalem, according to a Royal Court statement. 

King Abdullah commended Twal’s efforts in preserving the rights of Christians in Jerusalem and spreading love and peace in the region. 

For his part, the patriarch praised His Majesty’s continued endeavours to bring about a just and comprehensive peace in the Middle East, in addition to his support for Christians in Jordan, Palestine and the entire region, according to the statement. 

AMMAN — The Jordanian field hospital in Egypt on Sunday organised a medical workshop at Ein Shams General Hospital in Cairo.

The workshop covered topics such as the side effects of taking antibiotics and pain killers without medical consultations.

Lt. Col. Qasim Khamayseh, anesthetisation and intensive care consultant at the field hospital, said the aim of the workshop was to exchange expertise between Jordanian and Egyptian doctors.

AMMAN — The board of directors of the Military Housing Fund, chaired by Chairman of the Joint Chiefs-of-Staff Gen. Mashal Al Zaben, on Monday appointed Hassan Awawdeh as director general of the army-run fund.

## Social Development Ministry, women's rights

‘Over half of Social Development Ministry employees are women’

AMMAN (JT) — Women constitute around 54 per cent of the Social Development Ministry’s employees, according to a statement released on Monday, ahead of International Women’s Day, annually marked on March 8.

Sixty-five per cent of ministry’s housing service beneficiaries are women, while they account for 48 per cent of its elderly care service beneficiaries, and 43 per cent of people with disabilities receiving institutional social care.

AMMAN — Jordan condemned the “terrorist attack” that targeted Bahraini police officers on Monday evening, resulting in the death of three of them.

Government Spokesperson Mohammad Momani underlined the Kingdom’s rejection of all forms of terrorism that threaten the security and stability of Bahrain, stressing Jordanians’ solidarity with the Bahraini people.