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AMMAN — The Cabinet on Monday approved a recommendation by its economic development committee allowing the recruitment of qualified Syrian guest workers in qualifying industrial zones and underprivileged and remote areas outside governorate centres.

Institutions wishing to employ Syrian workers have to refer to the Labour Ministry.

The Council of Ministers also approved another recommendation to facilitate the entry of Syrian investors to the Kingdom in coordination with the Jordan Investment Board and the Jordanian Businessmen Association.

In addition, the Cabinet approved extending permits granted to Syrian vehicles registered to companies accredited by the Trade Ministry that entered the country before November 4, 2011.

AMMAN — The Public Works Ministry on Monday signed an agreement with the selected contractors to implement the first phase of the rehabilitation project of the Zarqa-Azraq highway linking Jordan with Saudi Arabia under a $139-million grant from King Abdullah Bin Abdulaziz.

Public Works Minister Sami Halsah said all tenders were floated by the end of 2013 and work on the road will commence within two to three weeks.

The project is scheduled to be completed in three years.

Prime Minister Abdullah Ensour, who attended the signing ceremony, voiced Jordan’s gratitude to the Saudi king, noting that the rehabilitation of the 110-kilometre highway is more for humanitarian than commercial purposes as it saves the lives of people using the vital artery, which has been in need of renovation for more than 10 years.

AMMAN — The Millennium Challenge Account — Jordan (MCA-Jordan) on Monday launched a new project to improve household water systems and decrease domestic water costs in Zarqa Governorate.

The Water Smart Homes project’s first phase includes an outreach campaign to raise awareness and encourage the public to manage water consumption efficiently, while the second phase will improve water and wastewater systems at the homes of National Aid Fund beneficiaries in Zarqa, some 22km east of Amman.

“The outreach campaign of the Water Smart Homes will tackle the public’s incorrect perceptions of water and wastewater services in Zarqa to eventually reinstate their trust in the quality of water and wastewater systems,” MCA-Jordan CEO Kamal Zoubi said at a press conference.

The project's funding is covered under the $275-million grant from the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC).   

The grant also covers the rehabilitation and expansion of the wastewater network, the rehabilitation and restructuring of water networks and the expansion of the Samra Wastewater Treatment Plant.

Briefing the media on the progress of the three ventures, Zoubi said 45 per cent of the rehabilitation and expansion of the wastewater network project has been completed, noting that around 85 kilometres out of the designed 187 kilometres of sewage pipes, was finished by the end of January 2014.

“MCA-Jordan will hand over part of the project to the Ministry of Water and Irrigation in March,” Zoubi said, underscoring that the construction work is in line with the MCC’s rigorous environment, social, and gender regulations and policies.

Meanwhile, five out of six tenders have been awarded to implement the rehabilitation and restructuring of water networks project, he said, adding that contractors have already started with the project’s infrastructure work.

Water loss in Zarqa is expected to drop from the current 50 per cent to less than 35 per cent, while water supply will increase from 36 to 70 hours per week once the project is completed, according to MCA-Jordan.

Zoubi said total progress at the Samra Wastewater Treatment Plant has reached 60 per cent, while 50 per cent of the project’s infrastructure has been completed.

Once the expansion is completed, the plant will become one of the largest wastewater treatment plants in the Middle East and North Africa, as it is projected to treat over 70 per cent of wastewater generated in the country, according to MCA-Jordan.

The plant currently treats 60 million cubic metres (mcm) of wastewater, and the capacity will more than double to 133mcm after the expansion, according to the state-owned company.

MCC Resident Country Director Alex Russin said the MCA-Jordan programme is based on a partnership between the US and the government, noting that the project seeks to expand Zarqa residents' access to clean water and sanitation.

“We are very pleased with the commitment and progress, and it looks like all construction will be completed on time,” Russin said, noting that the US government’s assistance to the Kingdom’s water sector will continue.

MCA-Jordan was established in 2010 as a company fully owned by the government to manage and implement the MCC-funded programme. 

AMMAN — Around one hundred Jordanians gathered at Al Hussein Youth City in Amman on Monday afternoon to perform the Istisqaa prayer.

The special Muslim prayer for rain is a ritual practised since the time of Prophet Mohammad.

Monday's event was organised by the Ministry of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs due to the lack of rainfall during the current wet season. 

Since a snowstorm hit the Kingdom last December, the country has not received any substantial rainfall. 

Abdul Rahman Abdah, assistant secretary general at the Awqaf Ministry, led the prayers in the capital and addressed worshippers on its significance and past examples.

"When people despair in the face of hardship, they have no one but God to turn to, asking for His mercy and help," he told The Jordan Times following the prayer. 

Prophet Mohammad used to perform the Istisqaa prayer whenever there was a drought, Abdah said, adding that this ritual can be performed several times in the same season.

He expressed his disappointment over the low turnout, attributing it to the timing of the event and the distance. 

"Similar prayers were also performed across the Kingdom," he added.

Abdullah Ali, one of the worshippers who performed the Istisqaa prayer, said it was the first time he had performed the ritual, adding that the absence of rainfall motivated him to take part. 

"It will really get dangerous if the situation prevails like this during winter," he noted. 

Jordan depends on rain to replenish underground aquifers and reservoirs, the main source of its domestic water supply.

The Kingdom has no major rivers or lakes to meet the demands of its over six million people.

Mohammad Abdullah, who brought his children to attend the prayers, noted that Jordan suffers from a severe shortage of water, voicing hope that it will rain soon. 

"The lack of rain will have negative consequences in the summer," he said.

But he criticised the timing of the Istisqaa prayer, pointing out that most people were still working at the time of the event.

"They could have held it during the weekend," Abdullah suggested.   

Seven-year-old Leen Hamid said she wanted to join her father in performing the prayer after she learned about its importance.

"I hope that God will listen to our prayers."

AMMAN — His Majesty King Abdullah on Sunday tasked former minister Rajai Muasher to chair a Royal commission entrusted with evaluating and following up on the implementation of the Executive Plan of National Integrity Charter, a Royal Court statement said.  

The plan was endorsed by a national conference held last year, and in December, the King attended a ceremony to launch the National Integrity Charter and Executive Plan, where 2,000 officials, community leaders and representatives of various sectors were present. 

The charter addresses major public concerns while its Executive Plan includes a detailed framework and timeline to complete a set of projects and laws to boost national integrity and prevent corruption.

The approved plans and programmes address financial corruption and set guidelines to safeguard public money and assets, uproot corruption in the wider sense of the word and improve services offered to citizens.

In a letter the King sent to Muasher Sunday assigning him to the mission, he described the charter as a landmark feature on the path of comprehensive reform which seeks to provide a better life for the people through boosting the democratic approach, fostering the values of justice, respecting citizens’ rights and safeguarding their freedoms.

Following is an unofficial translation of the letter: 

Your Excellency Dr Rajai Muasher,

Greetings,

The drafting of the National Integrity System constitutes a milestone in the process of comprehensive reform which seeks to provide a better life for our proud people through boosting the democratic approach, fostering the values of justice, respecting citizens’ rights and safeguarding their freedoms.

This will result in entrenching the principles of integrity which we seek as the pillars of good governance in our dear homeland.

The achievement made by the Royal Commission to Enhance the National Integrity System is worthy of our appreciation and a source of pride for us. Such an achievement has fostered a unique Jordanian approach to the challenges facing us. 

The National Integrity Charter is the fruit of a remarkable national collective effort in which the spectra of the Jordanian community took part, working as one team with a high sense of national responsibility. We are grateful to all of them.

Regarding the national mission ahead, all authorities and national institutions have the responsibility to fully cooperate and maintain continued coordination so that the National Integrity Charter will be adopted as a reference that everyone will abide by. All are expected to translate its Executive Plan into action, and ensure it is implemented within the fixed timeframe. The aim is to enroot the principles of integrity, transparency, justice, accountability, high-quality performance and anti-corruption practices to preserve public money and protect public interests. 

Accordingly, we hereby assign you to chair a Royal commission tasked with evaluating progress and follow up on accomplishment, with full transparency, during the next stage, to comprise the following personalities:

-   His Excellency Dr Hamza Ahmad Haddad

-   His Excellency the president of the Economic and Social Council

-   His Excellency the president of the board of trustees of the National Centre for Human Rights

-   His Excellency Abdul Majeed Thneibat

-   Her Excellency Abla Abu Olbeh

-   Wadah Barqawi 

-   Bassem Tweissi 

AMMAN — Prime Minister Abdullah Ensour on Sunday said the government will not submit a draft elections law at this stage and will instead focus on the political parties and municipalities bills.

His remarks came during the Sunday’s session of the Lower House.

The announcement was made amid a public debate over a possible peace deal between the Palestinians and the Israelis that might leave the majority of Palestinian refugees in their host countries. 

There have been warnings against putting the elections bill on the table at this particular stage because it would be perceived as part of a plan to permanently settle Palestinian refugees in Jordan, especially if the bill would ensure Jordanians of Palestinian origin more representation in Parliament. 

However, House Speaker Saad Hayel Srour criticised Ensour for a different reason. He charged that delaying the law suggests that the House will be dissolved so that another Chamber will be elected to decide on the most important, and sensitive, political reform-related law.

Last week, the premier said that the government plans to submit the bill to push forward the political reform agenda. However, his remarks caused MPs and politicians to express fears that there is an intention to dissolve Parliament before it completes its four-year term. 

AMMAN — Jordan will not accept any solution to the Palestinian refugee issue without taking into consideration its national interests including those of its citizens of Palestinian origin, a senior official said on Sunday.

Foreign Minister Nasser Judeh told lawmakers that the Kingdom retains its right “to reject, accept or express reservation” over any solution that comes at the expense of the country’s national rights.

His remarks came during a Lower House meeting designated to discuss US Secretary of State John Kerry’s ongoing efforts to push the Mideast peace process forward and hammer out a framework agreement to the almost seven-decade-old Middle East conflict. 

Judeh stressed that Kerry’s approach in this regard is compatible with Jordan’s vision of a solution to the conflict based on ending the occupation, establishing an independent Palestinian state within pre- June 4, 1967 lines and a just and agreed upon solution to the refugee issue according to international legitimacy and the Arab Peace Initiative.

“We do not negotiate on behalf of the Palestinians, but we are a key and central stakeholder in these negotiations, as we are concerned with certain final status issues… that directly touch on our higher national interests.”  

Judeh vowed continued support for the Palestinians “at this critical stage of their struggle to reach a two-state solution”.

However, MPs accused Kerry of “attempting to impose an unjust peace solution”.

The majority of around 100 MPs who spoke during the meeting warned against “serious threats” to the national interests, in particular, the refugee issue.

Jordan is the largest host of Palestinian refugees who fled or were forced to leave their lands after the 1948 Arab-Israeli war, which ended in the creation of Israel.

Leading MPs expressed their fears that the “vague” plan, which is not officially out yet, would risk Jordan’s rights in the process, reminding the government of the 1993 Oslo Accords between the Israelis and the Palestinians, when the two parties negotiated a peace agreement behind closed doors and then came out with “shocking announcement” after Jordan was kept in the dark.

During a meeting with leading journalists in Amman last week, Assistant US Secretary of State William Burns stressed that Jordan is being kept abreast with progress in the negotiations under way between the Palestinians and the Israelis.  

AMMAN — A programme implemented by Jordanian and Spanish organisations to improve the living conditions of people with disabilities concluded late last week after three years, according to a Spanish embassy statement issued on Sunday.

Spanish Ambassador to Jordan Santiago Cabanas Ansorena attended the closing ceremony.

The project’s activities, which cost around 500,000 euros (around JD476,283), targeted Palestinian refugees at the Zarqa camp, children and Syrian refugees, the statement said.

The programme offered physical rehabilitation, psycho-social support, group therapy sessions, training activities and capacity building for professionals dealing with people with disabilities, in addition to several other activities, the statement said.

The programme also included people with disabilities in Lebanon and Palestine.

GAZA — A delegation from Jordan’s military field hospital, “Gaza 28”, headed by its commander, Mohammad Hamouri, visited the Hamas government’s interior ministry on Sunday.

Interior Minister Fathi Hammad said the Jordanian and Palestinian people are one, commending the Kingdom’s support to the Gaza Strip and its efforts to defend the Palestinian cause.

Hamouri said the hospital is ready to provide medical services to all Gazans, both within the facility and through organising free medical days.

AMMAN — The Jordan Media Institute (JMI) is organising a conference, which opens on Monday at the Dead Sea, on the role of radio in development and democracy.

Supported by the Norwegian Institute for Journalism, the two-day conference includes 90 participants who are experts, academics and broadcasters in the field of radio journalism, in addition to representatives of local radio stations, according to a JMI statement.

During several sessions, research papers will be discussed on topics such as the practices and standards of Jordanian radio stations, media freedoms and the role of community radio stations in the detection of violations, and local radio stations as a medium for development and social change, the statement said.