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AMMAN — Jordan on Sunday reiterated that the Palestinian issue remains its central cause.

During the extraordinary meeting of the Arab League at the level of foreign ministers in Cairo, Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi expressed the Kingdom’s unaltered stances towards realising a comprehensive peace through the path adopted by Arab countries to meet all the rights of the Palestinians, a ministry statement said.

Palestine had called for the meeting to discuss the challenges to the Palestinian cause, with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas delivering a comprehensive presentation about the latest developments in the cause.

Safadi said that Palestinians have the right to freedom and statehood on their national soil with East Jerusalem as a capital, as stipulated in international legitimacy resolutions and the Arab Peace Initiative. 

The Kingdom will keep employing all its powers to support Palestinians and their legitimate rights, the minister stressed.

He also warned against the dangerous conditions in the Palestinian territories, calling for intensifying joint Arab action and communication with the international community to reach a political outlook to end the Israeli occupation and establish the independent Palestinian state.

Jordan will continue utilising all its efforts to safeguard Jerusalem and its Islamic and Christian holy sites under the directions of His Majesty King Abdullah, the custodian over these sites, the minister highlighted.

Safadi added that His Majesty spares no effort in maintaining the Islamic and Christian Arab identity of the sanctuaries and preserving their historical and legal status quo. 

“Sovereignty over Jerusalem is Palestinian and the custodianship over its holy sites is Hashemite, yet defending the city, its identity and legal status is a Jordanian, Palestinian, Arab, Islamic and international responsibility,” the minister stressed.

Jerusalem is the key to peace and attempts to tamper with its holy sites constitute a threat to world peace and security, he added.

Safadi highlighted the importance of adopting effective steps to help the Palestinian Authority face its financial crisis, calling for an action mechanism to implement the outcomes of the meeting.

While in Cairo, Safadi met with his Egyptian counterpart Sameh Shoukri over means to develop bilateral relations and the latest regional developments, mainly in the Palestinian arena. 

The ministers also agreed to cooperate with Iraq to follow up on the outcomes of the Jordanian-Egyptian-Iraqi trilateral summit that Cairo hosted in March, which focused on boosting trilateral cooperation in all fields, according to a second ministry statement.

AMMAN — The Court of Cassation, citing the general pardon, has decided to release a minor who murdered his divorced pregnant sister in 2015 for reasons related to family honour.

The higher court ruled that the defendant, who received a four-year sentence at a juvenile correctional facility for shooting and killing his seven-week pregnant sister in Amman in October of 2015, benefited from the general pardon and should be released immediately.

The defendant originally received an eight-year sentence at a juvenile correctional facility but the ruling was reduced by half because the victim’s parents dropped charges against their son.

The higher court ruled that since the victim’s parents dropped charges against the defendant, “then the ruling falls under the general pardon and his four-year sentence was reduced to two years”.

“The defendant had already spent the two years at a correctional facility and therefore, we order his immediate release from detention,” the Court of Cassation said.

Court papers said the victim, who had been divorced for six years, became pregnant by her ex-husband.

“The victim’s mother was the first to learn about her daughter’s pregnancy and she informed the defendant,” court transcripts said.

The defendant and a second brother took the victim to a secluded area and “tied their sister with a rope”, according to court documents.

“The victim’s siblings asked her about the father of her unborn child but she refused to give them a name so the defendant grabbed a shotgun and shot his sister twice in the chest,” court papers said.

The defendant then headed to the nearest police station and turned himself in, “claiming to have killed his sister to cleanse his family’s honour”, court papers added.

The Court of Cassation judges were Mohammad Ibrahim, Naji Zu’bi, Yassin Abdullat, Bassem Mubeidin and Nayef Samarat.

AMMAN — The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates is persistently following up on the situation and conditions of Jordanian prisoners in Israeli custody, ministry spokesperson Sufian Qudah confirmed on Sunday.

In a statement that was sent to The Jordan Times, Qudah said that the ministry is updating their families on a regular basis.

The ministry is also working to ensure that the conditions of the prisoners meet the requirements of international covenants and treatise, according to the statement.

It is a priority for the ministry that they stand fair trials and are not mistreated, the spokesperson reaffirmed.

He underlined that requests have been filed with the Israeli authorities to improve their detainment settings and ensure the rights of the prisoners are not infringed upon in any way.

Qudah stressed that they were not denied visitation rights.

Their families have made numerous visits, especially in recent months, he said.

The father of Jordanian detainee Mohammad Sulaiman visited his son on January 16, Qudah stated, as other prisoners have also received several visits over the years.

Visitation arrangements for the families of two other Jordanian prisoners in Israeli custody are currently under way, the spokesperson said, noting that prisoners with families and relatives in Palestine are able to receive visits regularly.

However, the family of the prisoner Marie Abu Saida, who is serving life in prison for the charges of “murder and joining a terrorist organisation”, did not file for visitation this year or last year, he asserted.

In fact, when the ministry organised a group visit for the families of Jordanian prisoners in Israeli detention facilities some years ago, Abu Saida refused to receive visitors, Qudah explained.

He also reassured that the ministry is ready to organise the visit of his family the moment they file for a request, and the same goes for any other Jordanian detainee in Israeli custody.

AMMAN — Minister of State for Investment Affairs Muhannad Shehadeh on Sunday said that so far 21 investors had obtained Jordanian nationality under an incentives programme introduced by the government in 2018.

“We currently have a list of 50 applications which are ready to be reviewed,” the minister, who is also chairman of the Jordan Investment Commission (JIC), told The Jordan Times on Sunday.

According to Shehadeh, the process is currently being reviewed to ensure further improvement.

“This decision has resulted in attracting investors to the Kingdom as well,” the minister said.

Most of the Arab investors who have obtained nationality under the programme are Syrians and Iraqis, according to the minister.

Shehadeh added that the overall number of requests submitted to the JIC to obtain citizenship had reached 200. Of these, 100 applications had met the programme’s conditions.

Through a Cabinet decision taken in February 2018, investors were offered several options to become eligible for citizenship.

Investors can make a zero-interest, five-year $1.5 million deposit at the Central Bank of Jordan (CBJ) or buy Treasury bonds of the same value at an interest rate to be decided by the CBJ for no less than ten years.

The third option is to buy securities worth $1.5 million from an active investment portfolio or to invest $1 million in SMEs for at least five years to become a Jordanian national.

Investors can also make a $2-million investment in any location in the country, or a $1.5 million investment if the project is registered in a governorate other than Amman, provided that the project creates at least 20 jobs and remains operational for at least three years.

To obtain permanent residency, any non-Jordanian can buy property worth at least JD200,000 without selling or disposing of it in any manner for at least a 10-year period, provided that the Department of Land and Survey confirms the property’s value.

An investor who obtains any of the mentioned statuses will have the right to obtain a similar status for their spouse, unmarried, widowed or divorced daughters, sons below 18 years of age and for their parents, if they are their sole supporters.

AMMAN — Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources Hala Zawati on Sunday launched a pan-Arab workshop on sustainably integrating renewable energy into electrical grids.

The workshop hosted 40 experts from 10 Arab countries, including Jordan, according to a statement released by the Energy Ministry.

Zawati began the workshop with a presentation on a study tackling the readiness of renewable energy in Jordan, prepared by the International Renewable Energy Agency.

The study will be one of the tools used to evaluate the performance of renewable energy in the Kingdom and will cover the experiences, challenges and opportunities relevant to improving the sector.

“Investment in renewable energy in Jordan will exceed the $4-billion mark by 2021,” Zawati said, adding that “renewable energy will cover a fifth of the Kingdom’s electricity needs by next year”.

The minister affirmed the importance of renewable energy as a contributor to mitigating the costs of imported energy, which constituted 10 per cent of the Kingdom’s GDP last year.

In 2014, the cost of imported energy constituted 18 per cent of the GDP, the ministry statement added.

“Renewable energy is no longer a luxury and is no longer inefficient in cost. Thanks to technological development, renewable energy can compete with, and sometimes costs less than other forms of energy in a country like Jordan, which is 95 per cent dependent on imported energy,” Zawati said.

The minister pointed to a welcoming legislative environment in Jordan for investment in renewable energy. An environment which has fostered several solar and wind-powered renewable energy projects, which pump clean electricity into Jordan’s electricity grid.

Renewable energy projects currently provide a total of 1,100 megawatts of electricity, and constituted 10 per cent of Jordan’s electricity production in 2018. The statement said the ministry expects this figure to increase to 20 per cent by 2020.

AMMAN — Parliamentary committees and the ministerial economic team on Sunday agreed to allow loan payments due to banks to be postponed, without any extra interest accrued during the holy month of Ramadan.

The committees also recommended developing a national financial reform programme in alignment with the International Monetary Fund’s (IMF) reform programme. They also stated that no new taxes or hikes would be implemented if the IMF’s reform programme was expanded or a new programme was created.

These recommendations were approved during a meeting held between the Lower House’s Financial Committee and a ministerial economic team, headed by MP Khaled Bakkar.

Bakkar said that the meeting was held to check on the government’s commitments and pledges in terms of economic policies meant to achieve economic growth.

The meeting was also convened to follow up the government’s readiness for Ramadan, he added.

The recommendations included allowing traditional markets and bazaars to sell local products during Ramadan, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

During the meeting, MP Khaled Abu Hassan, president of the Public Services and Transport Committee, said that the government needed to adopt a comprehensive policy to provide radical solutions to the sector’s problems.

He asked the government to speed up payments to construction companies, Petra added.

During the meeting, President of the Energy and Mineral Resources Committee MP Haitham Zayadin asked the government to reconsider the electricity tariff to alleviate citizens’ burdens.

Deputy Prime Minister Rajai Muasher told those attending the meeting that the IMF and Jordan had held difficult negotiations, mainly on the energy sector, but the government managed to convince the fund that Jordan had met all of the IMF’s conditions.

Muasher added that the issue of raising taxes or imposing new levies had ended, noting that the government was currently working on restructuring the economic sectors and controlling expenditures.

He also touched on an agreement with banks to delay citizens’ payment during Ramadan, without incurring any additional costs on citizens, noting that most banks had agreed to the proposal.

During the meeting, Finance Minister Ezzeddine Kanakrieh said that figures for the first quarter of 2019 showed that revenues had increased with a lower sales tax, thanks to the so-called “tobacco case”.

The minister pointed out that the financial deficit for the first three months of the year stood at JD262 million, while the general debt-to-GDP ratio marked 94.4 per cent.

Water Minister Raed Abul Saud stressed that there was no intention to raise the price of water on citizens, in light of the high cost of electricity, noting that work was still ongoing to reduce water loss and improve the efficiency of water pumps.

Regarding the “differences in fuel price” category, Energy Minister Hala Zawati said that the item has witnessed a “clear and continuous decline” from 24 fils per kilowatt to 10 fils, noting that work is ongoing to reconsider consumer categories and electricity tariffs after adopting plans to reduce costs.

AMMAN — Climbing a set of stairs linking Jabal Luweibdeh and downtown Amman, Zeinab Alawi said she was “over the moon” to stumble upon local and foreign musicians playing Eastern and Western music side by side over the weekend.

“I like jazz music and I like the idea of music being played on a staircase, especially with the atmosphere added by the graffiti painted on these stairs,” she told The Jordan Times.

Alawi was among a number of people who were passing by and stopped after encountering musicians playing jazz at Al Kalha staircase.

The staircase concert was a public event and took place on Saturday with a second concert being postponed until Wednesday due to rain. The event was held within the framework of the Amman Jazz Festival, according to a statement from organisers.

Laura Hartz, director of Goethe-Institut Jordan, said Amman’s jazz festival brings in bands from all over the world year after year.

“We wanted also bring the music to the streets. We thought that staircases in Amman were such an interesting venue because the architecture of staircases is already a kind theatre. It also bridges and connects neighbourhoods, which was what we wanted to do,” she added.

“When you bring different musicians from different backgrounds there is always something new being created, which is the beauty of bringing them together,” she said.

The staircase concert was organised by the Amman Jazz Festival and the Goethe-Institut Jordan, in collaboration with the Greater Amman Municipality and the EU, according to the statement.

AMMAN — The King Abdullah Fund for Development (KAFD) on Sunday launched the Applied Scientific Research programme targeting innovative and creative researchers with the potential to resolve issues within their communities.

The project aims to connect researchers with relevant institutions and provide them with the tools they need to carry out their research.

“The project builds on what was achieved by the Undergraduate Project Funding programme established in 2004 and aims to reach a new sector of researchers,” KAFD Director Saeb Hassan said in a statement carried by the Jordan News Agency, Petra.

“It promotes societal scientific and technological innovation and the pursuit of solutions to the problems and needs of local communities, in addition to providing employment opportunities in the fields of the research projects being supported,” Hassan added.

The programme was launched in sync with the fund’s “Committed to Achieve Developmental Goals” campaign, launched in celebration of the 20th anniversary of His Majesty King Abdullah’s Accession to the Throne.

In March, the KAFD also launched three other projects aimed at contributing to development.

The KAFD was established under the directives of His Majesty King Abdullah to help implement the King’s holistic vision for sustainable development through productive projects that support citizens, according to the fund’s website.

AMMAN — A number of the Kingdom’s officials on Sunday expressed their condolences over the passing of former culture minister and journalist Tareq Masarweh.

In a statement carried by the Jordan News Agency, Petra, Prime Minister Omar Razzaz recalled the accomplishments and successes that marked the former minister’s life, whose writings and ideas contributed greatly to the service of his community and the Kingdom, the premier said.

Razzaz also expressed his condolences to Masarweh’s family and to the members of the Kingdom’s press and media institutions, Petra reported.

Masarweh was also mourned by Minister of Culture and Youth Mohammad Abu Rumman who said: “Today we say goodbye to a pillar of Arabic press and a renowned writer who raised awareness of the cause for Jordan and contributed greatly to world enlightenment through his articles and constant presence at pan-Arab creative and media events.”

“The vast experience that the deceased had made him a beacon of pure Jordanian consciousness, especially for his followers. He was a distinguished Jordanian icon to the world,” Abu Rumman added.

Meanwhile, Minister of State for Media Affairs and Government Spokesperson Jumana Ghunaimat also expressed her condolences over the loss of the writer and political analyst, stating that “Masarweh always carried the burdens of his country and people, and led a unique example in defending the causes and values of Jordan. He contributed through his writings to the service of his country and community”.

Masarweh was the Kingdom’s minister of culture in 2011 and a senator in 2003. In addition to having been a Prime Ministry adviser, he was a writer and editor-in-chief of the Sawt Al Shaab newspaper.

AMMAN — HRH Prince Hassan released a statement on Sunday expressing his condolences after attacks targeted hotels and churches in Sri Lanka on Sunday. 

“I share the deep sense of grief following the heinous attacks in Sri Lanka and utter revulsion for the vile and calculated depravity of those who would attack worshippers yet again,” Prince Hassan said. 

The attackers targeted three churches and four hotels across the country on Easter Sunday leaving over 200 dead and 450 injured, according to Reuters.

“Regardless of whether these events occur in mosques, churches, synagogues or temples, near to us or far from home.”

“The continued and wanton targeting of congregations at prayer is an act of barbarity and must be an aberration to all people of good faith,” Prince Hassan stated.

“We must stand together, not divided by the binary labels of one faith or another but united in humanity itself; to provide protection and support for each other and ridding ourselves of the dominance of hatred and bigotry, thus forcing these acts of darkness into the light of justice,” Prince Hassan said the statement released by his office.  

“I send my deepest condolences to the people of Sri Lanka and all those who have been injured or lost loved ones in these outrages.”