By Khetam Malkawi

AMMAN - Lawmakers on Wednesday observed a minute’s silence in a show of support for Iraqi television reporter Muntazer Zaidi who threw his shoes at US President George W. Bush earlier this week.

The action was taken following a proposal by MP Tayseer Shdeifat, who also asked House Speaker Abdul Hadi Majali to issue a statement demanding his release, a motion supported by several MPs.

Zaidi, who works for the Baghdadiah TV station, hurled his shoes at Bush during a Baghdad press conference and called him a dog.

The Iraqi journalist, who became an instant media star following the incident, appeared Wednesday before a judge, Agence France-Presse reported.

The agency quoted his brother Durgham Zaidi as saying that Muntazer had been taken to the US-run Ibn Sina Hospital in the Green Zone after being beaten by security guards and suffering a broken arm and ribs, as well as injuries to an eye and a leg.

At yesterday’s session, 18 MPs spoke on different issues during the time allotted for unscheduled topics, with most of them expressing support for Zaidi.

The issue of Aziz Dweik, speaker of the Palestinian Legislative Council, was also raised at the meeting, with some 50 MPs signing a memorandum requesting the government act in his support.

An Israeli military court at Ofer Base on Tuesday sentenced Dweik to three years in prison for belonging to a banned organisation. Dweik belongs to the Islamist Hamas movement, AFP said.

In another memorandum that was also signed by 50 MPs, lawmakers requested the government to revise a decision to increase the fees traders pay in exchange for services provided at the Free Zone in Zarqa, which was established in 1983.

The government decided to increase the fees last month in accordance with the relevant law, Minister of Finance Hamad Kasasbeh said, noting that the fees should be raised every five years.

“Since its establishment there has been no increase in the fees which violates the law… however, the increase would be fair one,” he explained.

In response to MPs who raised the issue of fights at the country’s universities, Minister of Higher Education Omar Shdeifat said the ministry was working on regulations to curb this phenomenon.

Deputies also endorsed the Agriculture Risk Management Fund Law, which seeks to build the capacity of institutions working in this field and to reduce the impact of these risks on the sector.

The Lower House is scheduled to convene on Monday to discuss drug abuse and its impact on Jordanians, in response to memorandum submitted by some deputies.