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AMMAN — The Lower House on Saturday reiterated its rejection of any Mideast peace deal that could lead to the recognition of Israel as a “Jewish state”.

In a statement issued on Saturday, the Lower House stressed the Palestinian people’s right to have their own independent state within the pre-June 4, 1967 border, with East Jerusalem as its capital.

The statement was issued a few days after MPs held two sessions to discuss US State Secretary John Kerry’s peace efforts.

They raised several issues and cast doubt on Kerry’s plan, accusing him of serving Israel’s interests.

However, Prime Minister Abdullah Ensour and Foreign Minister Nasser Judeh told deputies that the Palestinians are keeping Jordan updated on developments in the peace negotiations. 

In remarks under the Dome last week, they said that Jordan will not accept any solution that does not take its vital interests into consideration, particularly in connection with the Palestinian refugee issue.

Kerry has been working on developing what he called “a framework plan” to bring the Israelis and the Palestinians closer to a deal that will resolve final status issues, which include borders, refugees and water.

After concluding their debate with the government over the US-brokered peace talks, deputies reiterated the need to adopt a just and agreed upon solution to the refugee issue in accordance with international legitimacy and the Arab Peace Initiative.

Palestinian refugees must have the right to return and receive compensation, the Lower House statement said.

Last week, several MPs expressed dissatisfaction with the government’s performance in this file, with some accusing it of being vague and reluctant in informing the public of Kerry’s ongoing efforts to reach a peaceful solution to the Middle East conflict.

Some of the MPs who spoke during the session called on the government to resign if it is unable to face the rising pressure to make concessions related to the country’s national interests.

But Ensour stressed that Jordan is not being kept in the dark about developments in the peace talks, noting that the Kingdom is a key player in efforts to ensure a fair agreement is reached. 

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has provided assurances that the Kingdom will be kept apprised of progress in the talks and any decisions that will be taken ahead of time, the premier said.

Jordan is waiting for feedback from Palestinian negotiators over negotiations on final status issues, which are part of the Kingdom’s higher interests, Ensour added.

“Jordanians will not be taken by surprise,” he stressed, adding: “We take the Palestinian commitment in this regard seriously.”

“There will be nothing kept from you or secrets that would surprise you,” he told MPs.

AMMAN — His Majesty King Abdullah’s visit to Mexico and the US “is going according to schedule”, the Royal Court said on Saturday, dismissing news reports claiming that the helicopter carrying His Majesty made an emergency landing while in Mexico. 

A senior official explained in remarks to The Jordan Times that the plane’s route was diverted due to bad weather conditions and that “no emergency landing was made due to fuel shortage or any other reasons as was reported by some media outlets”. 

Elaborating, the official said that standard procedures in case of bad weather involve diverting the route of the aircraft and “logistic details that necessitate landing in pre-decided alternative sites, but such procedures did not include emergency landing”. 

The Monarch will start on Monday the second leg of his North American tour by meeting with representatives of US-based  Arab and Muslim organisations in Washington.  

AMMAN — Keen to put her computer training skills to good use, Iqbal Dmour started working at the Qatraneh Knowledge Station five years ago.

Now she plans to teach parents in the Southern Badia how to use Facebook and create e-mail accounts to bridge the growing gap between them and their computer-literate children.

“At the knowledge station, we charge nominal fees for computer courses, so people prefer to register their children,” Dmour said, noting that difficult economic conditions facing families in the area deprived parents of the opportunity to enrol in computer training courses, which left them unaware of technological advancements.

“I was hoping to get some kind of support that will help me achieve my goal,” she told The Jordan Times in a recent interview.

The computer trainer said her hopes were realised when she applied for the Youth Empowerment Windows Initiative, which is part of the Democratic Empowerment Programme “Demoqrati” launched by His Majesty
King Abdullah last year. 

“I submitted a proposal for a scheme to train 400 parents from the Southern Badia on computer and Internet skills and was accepted,” she said.

Dmour was one of 97 young Jordanians from across the country who were recently announced as winners of the first round of the initiative, implemented by the King Abdullah II Fund for Development (KAFD).

“I am so happy that the fund accepted my idea and adopted it. They pledged to provide financial support that will cover the cost of the training courses at the Knowledge Station and transportation for the parents,” Dmour said.

“It is important to teach parents how to use the Internet and understand what it is all about because sometimes they clash with their children for surfing the web excessively. They also need to be trained on how to monitor their children’s online activity and how to protect them,” Dmour said.

“When parents know how to use the Internet, they will also be able to fill their time and learn,” she noted.

Farah Freihat was also among the first round of winners.

“I use the Internet a lot throughout the day and I noticed that young people and friends on my social networking sites discuss a lot of issues and problems they face in society, at school and in our city in general,” the Jerash resident told The Jordan Times over the phone.

“When I learnt about the initiative, I submitted an idea for creating a website where young people in Jerash can publish articles, discuss issues they face and interact with each other. My project seeks to create a platform for an exchange of ideas,” noted Freihat, who received a JD500 grant to implement her scheme.

The 11th grader has already started working with a designer to develop the website, which will be launched in March as www.sharek.jo. 

“Young people in Jerash and elsewhere use the Internet a lot. I hope that my website will be a platform for positive dialogue.”

“I also hope the initiative will support more ideas in the future as many of my friends started thinking about ways they can serve their communities and enhance services in their neighbourhoods,” Freihat added.

According to KAFD, another round will be held in April under which young Jordanians can submit their ideas.

The programme’s four youth empowerment “windows of opportunity” seek to encourage young people to join voluntary initiatives, institutionalise existing youth initiatives, support local community organisations to expand the outreach of their projects, and provide financial and technical support to larger projects to turn them into nationwide initiatives that reach the Kingdom’s governorates.

Seeking to enhance the values of democracy, enroot democratic practices in society and push the development process forward, Demoqrati is founded on development-boosting values such as the rule of the law, rejection of violence, acceptance of others, dialogue and accountability.

It seeks to engage all segments of society, especially young people, in building a conscious democratic culture and facilitate it through democratic institutions and supportive civil society organisations, based on confidence in the country’s ability to make change and progress in its development process. 

AMMAN — His Majesty King Abdullah met with Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto on Thursday in Mexico City and discussed means to enhance economic cooperation, in addition to developments in the Middle East.

The King and Nieto, who held a joint press conference after the talks, also attended the signing of several cooperation agreements between Jordan and Mexico, a Royal Court statement said.

Also on Thursday, King Abdullah met with several business leaders and members of the Arab Mexican Chamber of Industry and Commerce, emphasising different opportunities that Jordan and Mexico can tap to boost economic cooperation.

His Majesty said Jordan has taken a number of strides to strengthen its national economy. 

The Kingdom, he said, endorsed several pieces of legislation deemed vital to streamline and boost economic activities and ensure comprehensive development.

Despite the global economic crisis and current regional conditions, the Kingdom has been able to maintain its excellent reputation in terms of security and stability, going hand-in-hand with its implementation of development plans, he added.

The King cited several success stories where Jordan managed to transform challenges into opportunities, thus boosting its investment environment.

He also highlighted the role of the private sector in fostering the business climate in Jordan and providing job opportunities, especially for the younger generation.

Today’s meeting will strengthen relations, not only between Jordan and Mexico, but also between the Arab world and Latin America, the King told attendees, emphasising Jordan’s strategic location.

In light of the various bilateral and international agreements signed by the Kingdom, the Jordanian market represents a gateway for Mexico to reach more than one billion consumers, His Majesty said, pointing out that this is in the best interest of investors and businessmen who can benefit from these advantages.

Jordan is interested in attracting investments in the mining, tourism, transport, IT, energy and water sectors, the King said, adding that Jordan facilitates investments in various economic and commercial fields.

King Abdullah invited Mexican companies and businessmen to visit Jordan and become further acquainted with investment opportunities available in the country to boost partnership with their Jordanian counterparts.

The King voiced hope the meeting would maximise the partnership with Mexico, one of the world’s largest economies.

He pointed out that the opening of a Jordanian embassy in Mexico, which is scheduled at the end of this year, will help maintain cooperation between the business communities in both countries and facilitate commercial and investment cooperation. 

King Abdullah drew attention to the similarities between Jordan and Mexico, noting that the two countries are capable of achieving economic integration. 

As Jordan represents a gateway for Mexican products to Middle East markets, Mexico is seen as a gateway for Jordan to the other countries of Latin America.

Mexican businessmen and leading economic figures expressed their appreciation of the King’s support for investments from Latin America and Mexico in particular.

Commending the Jordanian model and the opportunities that it can provide due to its stability, they expressed their readiness through various economic institutions and private sector entities to cooperate with Jordan in the fields of research and development, and expertise exchange, especially in the industry, transport and IT sectors.

They noted that the two countries will mark 40 years since the establishment of diplomatic relations by strengthening economic and investment cooperation and increasing the joint trade volume.

In 2013, the bilateral trade volume reached $61 million, up from around $4 million in 2012.

Mexico’s Economy Secretary Ildefonso Guajardo said the Mexican business community expects the King’s visit to be the start of solid economic ties, in accordance with a free trade agreement that is scheduled to be signed soon between Jordan and Mexico.

Asserting the importance of the King’s visit to Mexico, Minister of Industry and Trade Hatem Halawani said it paves the way for further economic cooperation with the second largest economy in Latin America.

Halawani said in remarks to the Jordan News Agency, Petra, that since Mexico is a member of the North American Free Trade Agreement and in light of the free trade agreement that will be signed between the two countries soon, Jordanian exporters will have a greater opportunity to penetrate the Mexican market.

During the King’s visit to Mexico, the two countries are signing three agreements and a memorandum of understanding to pave the way for negotiations on the envisaged bilateral free trade agreement and to bolster educational, cultural and technical cooperation in the tourism, agriculture, environment, health and energy sectors.

“It is an important visit... and we hope it will reflect… on the Jordanian economy and increase the joint trade volume,” Halawani told Petra.

In the coming three months, the two countries will exchange business delegation visits to further explore investment opportunities and forge ahead with a new stage of economic cooperation, he added.

His Majesty, who arrived in the Latin American country on Wednesday night, seeks through this visit to establish bilateral ties with Mexico and other Latin American countries, positioning Jordan as an “investment and tourism destination, and gateway for Latin Americans into the region”, according to the Royal Court.

The objectives of the visit, which is in response to an invitation to the King from Nieto, also include promoting the Jordanian perspective on Middle East developments to Mexico and Latin American leaders, according to an infographic posted by the Royal Court on Twitter.

Mexico is the 14th largest economy in the world according to 2012 figures, with a gross domestic product of $1.178 trillion.

The Kingdom’s total exports to Mexico reached JD4 million (around $5.7 million) during the first 10 months of 2013, according to the Royal Court, while Jordan’s imports from the Latin American country over the same period reached JD35.4 million (around $50 million).

JERASH — Jerash Mayor Ali Gougazeh on Thursday said the influx of Syrian refugees has burdened the city’s municipality and weakened its ability to address environmental challenges.

Inaugurating an environmental campaign in Jerash’s Souf District, Gougazeh said the number of Syrian refugees in Jerash, some 30km north of Amman, has exceeded 60,000, constituting a tremendous burden on the environment, health, education and infrastructure sectors.

He also called on international organisations to enter joint ventures with the municipality to alleviate its burdens resulting from the Syrian refugee crisis.

AMMAN — The Education Ministry’s Social Security Fund board on Thursday endorsed a decision to distribute a new batch of compensations worth around JD2.170 million to 285 teachers for January.

The ministry called on the beneficiaries to head to its departments to receive the cheques.

MAFRAQ — A 36-year-old man and his two-year-old child died, while his wife was injured, when their car hit an electricity pole in Mafraq on Thursday.

Civil Defence Department (CDD) staff took the injured woman to Mafraq Public Hospital, where she was admitted to the intensive care unit with multiple fractures and bruises.

Also on Thursday, two workers at the Rehab Thermal Power Plant suffered smoke inhalation in a fire that broke out at the station.

CDD firefighters managed to contain the fire and took the workers to Mafraq Public Hospital, where they were listed in fair condition.

AMMAN — The Lower House’s foreign affairs committee met with Egyptian Ambassador to Jordan Khaled Tharwat on Thursday.

During the meeting, chaired by Deputy Hazem Qashou, discussions covered a number of regional and local issues of concern to both countries, particularly in the energy and labour sectors, in addition to Jordanian students at Egyptian universities.

Qashou commended Egypt’s role in the region, voicing hope that stability is reached in the country soon, allowing it to resume its role as a leading Arab and Muslim country.

For his part, the ambassador commended Jordan’s support for Egypt at all levels, stressing his country’s readiness to assist the Kingdom in issues such as energy and natural gas, and follow up on the situation of Jordanian students in Egypt, in addition to organising the situation of Egyptian workers in Jordan.

AMMAN — Health Minister Ali Hiasat said the ministry is tightening measures to implement the Public Health Law, which bans smoking in public places.

In a circular issued on Thursday to the directors of public hospitals and health departments, Hiasat stressed the need to take the necessary measures to ensure that smoking is banned in all buildings affiliated with the ministry.

The circular said officials in charge of public buildings should place “No smoking” signs visible to all.

AMMAN — Jordan on Thursday condemned the “terrorist” attacks that targeted the Iraqi foreign ministry and other areas in Baghdad on Wednesday.

Government Spokesperson Mohammad Momani reaffirmed Jordan’s rejection of all acts of violence and terrorism that target innocent civilians and spread chaos, regardless of the motives behind them.

Momani said the best way to fight terrorism is for the Iraqi people to unite and work together to restore stability and security, adding that the government supports Baghdad’s efforts to combat violence.

He offered condolences to Iraq’s government and people and to the families of the victims.