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AMMAN — Jordan has proposed that the UN Security Council (UNSC) adopt the expected outcomes of the Geneva II conference, slated for January 22, and make it mandatory for all parties to implement any peace resolution that might be forged during the conference.

“It may be useful if the Security Council adopts the outputs of this international conference when achieved, and issues a resolution that makes it mandatory for all parties to implement these outputs,” said Foreign Minister Nasser Judeh as he presided over the council’s regular session on the Middle East on Monday.

Jordan was almost unanimously voted as a non-permanent member of the UNSC by the UN General Assembly member states late last year and is now assuming the body’s rotating presidency.

In his remarks at the meeting, Judeh said the international conference, to be held in Montreux, Switzerland, “is an opportunity that should not be wasted to put this political solution on the right track through the cessation of hostilities”, to be followed by setting up an executive body where the entire Syrian spectra is represented.

“It should have full authority to act immediately to restore internal harmony in Syria, with complete jurisdiction over all the Syrian territory, in a manner that ensures the country’s territorial integrity and political independence. This executive body should have full control and sovereignty over weapon arsenals, pave the way for a pluralistic and democratic political system, and work to restore security and stability to encourage the voluntary return of internally displaced persons and refugees in neighbouring countries, foremost of which is Jordan,” said Judeh, who will lead Jordan’s delegation to the peace conference, according to Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Sabah Al Rafie.

“The delegation will present Jordan’s position which stresses the importance of arriving at a political solution for the crisis in Syria,” she said in reply to a question in this regard.

She confirmed Jordan’s expectations of the UNSC to support the resolutions of Geneva II if parties agree to a peaceful solution.

“Jordan hopes that the Geneva conference will result in an agreement and it supports the adoption of such an agreement by the Security Council,” the spokesperson pointed out.

She added: “The Kingdom’s representatives will also highlight the consequences of the absence of a political solution on regional and international security, particularly in terms of spurring radicalism and igniting religious and sectarian tensions.”

Judeh highlighted the burden Jordan is shouldering as the largest host of Syrian refugees.

“As you know, we are currently hosting about 1.3 million Syrian citizens, including nearly 600,000 who have taken refuge in Jordan since the outbreak of the crisis three years ago. We share with these brothers and sisters our already limited resources, with the cost of their hosting estimated at about $1.8 billion annually. We call upon the international community to help us meet the challenges we have risen to on behalf of the entire humanity,” Judeh said.

Mideast peace

Judeh reiterated in his speech that Jordan’s interests must be protected in any peace deal between the Palestinians and the Israelis, noting that the Kingdom is also the largest host of Palestinian refugees.

“We are the world’s largest host of Palestinian refugees, who are Jordanian citizens in addition to their status as refugees, and it lies at the heart of our responsibilities to protect and restore their legitimate rights recognised by the international terms of reference pertaining to the peace process. As a host country, we, in turn, have rights for the burdens we have shouldered,” he said.

In addition to the refugee issue, the foreign minister detailed how final-status issues affect Jordan’s interests, including borders, security, the fate of Jerusalem and water.

He renewed Amman’s support for the US efforts to push forward the peace process and commitment to these efforts.

“Our unyielding commitment to achieving peace is based on the firm conviction that ending the Israeli-Palestinian conflict leads to an end to the broader Arab-Israeli conflict, which would, in turn, result in the elimination of many other sources of tension in the region.” 

AMMAN — The Airport International Group (AIG) launched the second phase of the Queen Alia International Airport (QAIA) expansion project on Monday, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

The second phase, expected to be completed by 2017 at a cost of more than $100 million, will increase the facility’s capacity to around 12 million passengers annually.

Prime Minister Abdullah Ensour and Transport Minister Lina Shbeeb attended the launch.

The airport’s new 103,000-square-metre terminal opened in March last year.

Located around 35km south of Amman, the facility can handle 9 million passengers annually under the first phase, compared with the old terminal’s 3.5-million-passenger capacity, according to AIG.

The number of gates will be developed gradually to meet demand towards the 12-million-passenger target.

In the terminal’s first phase, seven new contact stands and one temporary remote boarding lounge came into operation, serving seven million passengers.

Under a build, operate and transfer deal signed with AIG in 2007, the government will gain ownership of the airport after 25 years, and will receive 54.4 per cent of revenues for the first six years and 54.6 per cent of gross revenues for the remainder of the term.

Shbeeb said the increase in the number of passengers coming to Jordan is proof of the Kingdom’s ability to maintain its stability and security amidst the turbulence and unrest sweeping the entire region.

During a tour of the airport, Ensour stressed the need to resolve all problems facing passengers, mainly the delay in receiving their baggage.

Shbeeb said passengers have been receiving their luggage within an average of 31 minutes after their plane lands, adding that work is under way to reduce it to 25 minutes.

AIG Chairman Nazim Al Qudsi said the new terminal has been ranked among the best 50 airports in the world in terms of service quality and passenger satisfaction, Petra reported.

QAIA was also voted by its passengers as one of 20 best international airports serving 5-15 million passengers annually, he said.

In June 2013, ISO-certified QAIA became the second airport in the Middle East to earn the Airport Carbon Accreditation, according to the AIG website.

Also on Monday, Ensour attended the opening ceremony of the airport’s baggage check centre established by the government in cooperation with the Japan International Cooperation Agency, Petra reported.

The premier thanked Japan’s people and government for their assistance to Jordan’s vital projects.

At the ceremony, Japanese Ambassador to Jordan Junichi Kosuge handed over modern airport security equipment worth 1,437,000,000 yen (around JD10,500,000) to QAIA.

The project aims at improving airport security “by installing security equipment such as large-scale X-ray inspection systems, explosive detection tomography systems and handheld metal detectors for cargo and passengers”, a Japanese embassy statement said.

“The modern security devices will increase screening capacity and accuracy, requiring much less time and effort than before. As a result, they will promote security at the airport and the Kingdom as a whole,” the embassy said.

AMMAN — His Majesty King Abdullah and US congressional delegates on Monday discussed current affairs in the Middle East and issues of mutual interest.

During the meeting, King Abdullah expressed Jordan’s appreciation of the US efforts to achieve security and stability in the region, lauding US Secretary of State John Kerry’s endeavours in this regard, according to a Royal Court statement.

The meeting with the visiting delegation, which comprised members of both the Senate and House of Representatives, addressed progress in the US-brokered negotiations under way between the Palestinians and the Israelis.

The King reasserted that the envisioned Palestinian state is at the core of Jordan’s higher interests. He reiterated Jordan’s stand demanding that such a state be independent and viable within the pre-1967 lines, with East Jerusalem as its capital, in line with the two-state solution, UN resolutions and the Arab Peace Initiative.

Regarding the repercussions of the Syrian crisis, the King stressed the importance of expediting efforts to arrive at a comprehensive political solution that safeguards the unity of Syria and the Syrian people, ends violence and helps the entire region preclude its catastrophic effects.

The Monarch highlighted the increasing burden on Jordan’s resources as a result of hosting the largest number of Syrian refugees, standing currently at more than 60,000, in addition to a larger number of Syrian residents who are not registered as refugees.

The King and the visiting delegation discussed means to advance bilateral cooperation in various fields. His Majesty expressed his appreciation of the assistance the US provides to Jordan, which contributes to its comprehensive development programmes and plans.

The delegates commended Jordan’s pro-peace policies led by King Abdullah and the Kingdom’s reform drive.

The meeting was attended by Royal Court Chief Fayez Tarawneh, King’s Office Director Imad Fakhoury and King’s Adviser Abdullah Wreikat

AMMAN — Updating regulations that govern post-approval changes and post-marketing drug safety is very important to protect customers and drug stores, according to the Jordan Food and Drug Administration (JFDA).

JFDA Director General Hayel Obeidat on Monday said the Kingdom already has a new bylaw that was issued last year to regulate post-approval changes in drugs, but “we will modify some of its articles this year... to comply with the local market”.

The post-approval changes protocols and regulations cover specific modifications that a company would like to implement during the lifecycle of a pharmaceutical product.

“Our main objective at the JFDA is to realise health safety and monitor the safety of medicines in a way that also ensures protecting drug stores,” Obeidat told The Jordan Times on the sidelines of a workshop organised by APEX Medical Jordan on “Scale-up and post-approval changes and post-marketing pharmacovigilance”.

Pharmacovigilance is defined as the science and activities relating to the detection, assessment, understanding and prevention of adverse effects or any other drug-related problem, according to the World Health Organisation website.

Participants representing the sector from several countries of the region are reviewing regulations related to post-approval changes in medicines at the two-day workshop.

Addressing participants, Hanan Kakish, regional technical and innovation director at APEX, highlighted the importance of regulating post-approval changes to provide the most effective public health protection.

However, having too many restrictions on this policy could end up with low efficiency and a high cost of manufacturing, Kakish said.

According to Obeidat, companies submit details to prove they can manage the impact of the post-approval change for specific medicines.

AMMAN — The ICT Association of Jordan (int@j) on Monday said local universities need to train IT students on cyber security skills, as a Cisco Systems report indicated that hackers worldwide are cashing in on the shortage of skilled cyber security staff.

"Universities in Jordan do not even provide IT students with an option to study subjects related to cyber security," int@j CEO Abed Shamlawi told The Jordan Times.

"IT students in Jordan graduate with a general knowledge of IT and lack skills to combat cyber crime," Shamlawi said.

"There is a huge shortage at present in the number of professionals with the skills needed to maintain cyber security. This problem is not only limited to Jordan; the situation is the same in the Gulf and the rest of the world," Shamlawi added.

Currently, at least one million more skilled security employees are required globally to enable organisations and countries to fend off cyber criminals, according to the Cisco 2014 Annual Security Report, posted on the multinational corporation's website this week.

The report said overall vulnerabilities and security threats have reached their highest levels since 2000, and that a serious skills shortage is not making matters better.

The sophistication of the technology and tactics used by online criminals — and their non-stop attempts to breach networks and steal data — have "outpaced the ability of IT and security professionals to address these threats", Cisco said.

"Jordan is part of the world and we are also subject to cyber attacks. The risk of falling victim to cyber crimes is growing, as such attacks target not only individuals but also organisations," Shamlawi said.

"It will be easier for IT students to find jobs if they have skills in cyber security as this specialty is needed everywhere in the world," he added.

In its report, Cisco said "unprecedented growth" is expected this year for advanced malicious attacks.

About 99 per cent of all mobile malware in 2013 targeted devices running the Android operating system, according to Cisco.

Trojans — malicious programmes which perform actions that are not authorised by the user, such as data deletion — constituted 69 per cent of malware in 2013, while adware made up 20 per cent. Adware is software that automatically displays or downloads advertising material such as banners or pop-ups when a user is online and usually downloads suspicious programmes to gather information.

Cyber threats

- Threat alerts grew 14% in 2013 compared to 2012

- 99% of all mobile malware in 2013 targeted Android devices

- Android users also have the highest encounter rate (71%) with all forms of web-delivered malware

- Trojans constituted 69% of malware in 2013 and adware 20%

- Malicious exploits are gaining access to web hosting servers, name servers, and data centres

- Buffer errors are a leading threat

- Spam continues its downward trend, although the proportion of maliciously intended spam remains constant

Source: Cisco 2014 Annual Security Report

AMMAN — Jordan is engaged in “positive discussions” over a proposal to host a US training programme for Iraqi troops, a senior official said Sunday.

His comments come as Iraqi forces are locked in battles with anti-government militants who have gained ground in Anbar province, west of Baghdad, amid a spike in violence across the country (see separate story).

“Discussions over the proposed plan are positive,” said Minister of State for Media Affairs and Communications Mohammad Momani, who is also government spokesperson.

He said no official request has been made yet and so no final decision has been taken.

Al Rai daily quoted Momani as saying that Jordan welcomes positively the US request to train Iraqi forces on its territory.

“This project is part of permanent cooperation between Jordan, Iraq and the United States to fight against terrorism in the region.”

Meanwhile, an official source familiar with the discussions told The Jordan Times that the government is inclined to agree to the plan.

On Friday, a US defence official told AFP that Washington was waiting for an agreement with Jordan or another country to go ahead with the training programme.

AMMAN — A leading lawmaker said Sunday that his bloc has prepared a plan to revive the education system, featuring a suggestion not to hire teachers before they obtain a teaching licence.

According to MP Mustafa Hamarneh (Madaba, 1st District) the suggested plan, if adopted by the government, is likely to trigger a transformation process that will take the quality of education to the next level.

Hamarneh leads the Mubadara initiative, a House-based alliance seeking to convert into a shadow government with a clear platform to address key national issues.

Recently, the bloc reached a landmark deal with the government, under which plans are being finalised to grant the children and husbands of Jordanian women married to non-Jordanians full civil rights.

The teaching licence suggestion is part of a full-fledged draft plan that is yet to receive endorsement by Mubadara members before it is presented to the government next week. Hamarneh told The Jordan Times over the phone that it addresses all aspects of the education process.

The bloc will urge the government to restructure the administration of the educational sector and allocate more funds to send postgraduate students to renowned educational institutions abroad to obtain higher degrees and return to serve their country. The plan speaks about a target of 2,500 students, according to Hamarneh.

The lawmaker, a prominent university professor and researcher, said that the proposed plan also addresses loopholes in basic education, citing recent remarks by Education Minister Mohammad Thneibat, who said that more than 100,000 students in grades 1-3 are illiterate.

Mubadara will push to limit the General Secondary Certificate Examination (Tawjihi) to the two streams: academic and vocational, which was the old version of the national test. At present, the Tawjihi is divided into five independent streams including scientific and literary as academic streams in addition to IT and Sharia, or Islamic law, and agriculture.

In a related development, the Education Committee of the Lower House held a meeting Sunday, during which it directed harsh criticism towards the education leadership demanding to put the last five education ministers on trial for their alleged failure to address the deteriorating education situation.

Head of the committee MP Mohammed Qatasheh (Tafileh, 1st District) said if the same approach continues, “then the educational system will collapse and this government will ruin the most valuable asset in the country”.

He held the successive government accountable for the “shocking” outcomes of the basic education, saying “100,000 students in the basic levels are illiterate, of whom almost 70,000 are in the southern region”.

AMMAN — The UN Security Council, which Jordan presides over this month, will hold an open discussion session on Monday in New York on the situation in the Middle East.

Foreign Minister Nasser Judeh will chair the session, which will tackle the latest developments in the region, particularly regarding the Palestinian issue and the Syrian crisis.

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon and several foreign ministers of UN member states will participate in the session, according to the Jordan News Agency, Petra.

“We support the US efforts to create a political framework for the negotiations and we hope that US Secretary of State John Kerry’s efforts will succeed in achieving the goal of creating an independent, sovereign and viable Palestinian state,” Minister of State for Media Affairs and Communications Mohammad Momani said, commenting on the peace process.

“This is a high and strategic national interest,” Momani, who is also the government spokesperson, told The Jordan Times in a phone interview.

“We appreciate the continuous communication between Jordan and the US administration on the progress of negotiations and we are in close contact with the Palestinians and in touch with the Israelis,” the minister said.

In reply to a question on Jordan’s participation in the Geneva II conference on Syria, Momani confirmed that the Kingdom will attend the meeting, which is slated for Wednesday.

“We are participating in the Geneva conference. Jordan will present its views regarding the Syrian crisis to the members of the Security Council, [in an attempt] to increase the Security Council’s and the international community’s level of engagement with the crisis,” he noted.

Jordan will urge all Security Council members to heed “the need for a credible, viable and political process that will end the bloodshed and restore stability and security in Syria and for the Syrian people”, said the minister.

“Jordan is in a perfect position to bring to the Security Council an objective and insightful assessment of the Syrian crisis,” noted Momani, reiterating that the Kingdom is already suffering because of the influx of Syrian refugees and the burdens posed by the presence of over 600,000 of them in the country.

Jordan will call on the international community to shoulder its responsibility towards the refugees, as it is playing its humanitarian role on behalf of the international community, he said, emphasising the heavy burdens on the Kingdom’s infrastructure and services, let alone the security challenges on the border with Syria.

Last week, India called for a peaceful end to the Syrian crisis.

“We have been extremely worried. The parties involved should avoid violence,” India’s External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid told reporters in New Delhi last Wednesday in reply to a question on the plight of Syrian refugees and the need to assist them and host countries.

“I will take part in the Geneva conference on Syria and I hope that India can make a push towards a solution. India will contribute to arriving at an appropriate solution,” the minister told journalists from West Asia and North Africa.

Khurshid added that, India, a member of the Non-Aligned Movement, is pledging $2 million in assistance to mitigate the effect of the Syrian crisis this year.

“We have constantly played a role for the benefit of rebuilding capacity in Syria. We are willing to assist. We do not accept telling societies how to conduct themselves. India has its own way,” the minister elaborated.

“We have our own way of giving comfort and we will continue to do that. Our position is consistent for any part of the world, especially through dramatic changes,” Khurshid noted.

“As friends, we have always advised towards infusion, reconciliation, healing of any wounds that happen because of any changes,” he added. 

AMMAN — Microsoft Jordan will soon start receiving entries for its Imagine Cup 2014 Jordan competition, with winners scheduled to be announced late in April, according to Ayman Afaneh, Microsoft Jordan’s developer and platform evangelist lead.

The software giant will provide a month-long training course for university students as of February 1 to help them come up with different technology solutions and applications in their projects using Microsoft’s latest platforms in three main categories: world citizenship, games and innovation, Afaneh told The Jordan Times on Sunday.

“The objective of the competition is to encourage Jordanians aged above 16 years to come up with creative, innovative apps that serve the community, as well as support young talents,” Afaneh said.

“The competition is in line with Jordan’s efforts to trigger innovation among young Jordanians… especially since the country is home to a pool of talents,” he added.

“Imagine Cup is very important to Microsoft Jordan especially since education is one of the main pillars of the company’s national plan.”

The first round of finalists will be announced on March 15, with four selected in each of the competition’s three categories, according to Afaneh.

The final round will be on April 19 when all applicants will be judged, while the winner will be announced in an official ceremony on April 29.

The top three winners then will participate in an event in Qatar in May, where they will compete with other winners of similar Imagine Cup competitions in the Arab world, Afaneh noted.

The top two winners in Qatar’s event will be sent to the US to take part in Imagine Cup 2014 Worldwide, scheduled for July.