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AMMAN — A Royal Decree was issued on Tuesday appointing Yousef Issawi as Royal Court chief, as of June 20, 2018, according to a Royal Court statement.

His Majesty King Abdullah sent a letter to Issawi, in which he commended his “performance and distinguished efforts” in previous posts as secretary general of the Royal Court, adviser and head of the follow-up committee for the implementation of Royal initiatives, as well as an officer in the Jordan Armed Forces-Arab Army.

“Today, I task you with heading the Royal Court to be a connection between me and other state institutions and to enhance communication between the Royal Court and Jordanians, so as to keep its doors open for all Jordanians,” the King said.

His Majesty expressed his confidence that Issawi will be able to assume this post, vowing to fully support him.

A second Royal Decree was issued on Tuesday, accepting the resignation of Fayez Tarawneh from his post as Royal Court chief, as of June 20, 2018.

King Abdullah sent a letter to Tarawneh, in which His Majesty commended Tarawneh’s dedication and loyalty while in office, in addition to his keenness on bearing the responsibility and working in the team spirit.

“I accept your resignation, whether to have rest after these long years of distinguished dedication or to move to other post, with my sincerest gratitude and appreciation for your remarkable efforts,” His Majesty added.

Earlier in the day, Tarawneh, a formerl prime minister who served several times as prime minister, sent a letter to the King, in which he commended His Majesty’s trust in him since his accession to the Throne.

“After these years of serving with you, allow me Your Majesty to submit my resignation as the chief of the Royal Hashemite Court...,” Tarawneh wrote.

A third Royal Decree was issued, appointing Qais Abu Dayeh as head of the Royal Protocol Directorate as of June 20, 2018, transferring him from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates.

Another Royal Decree was issued accepting the resignation of Amer Fayez from his post as head of the Royal Protocol Directorate, as of June 20, 2018.

AMMAN — His Majesty King Abdullah on Tuesday received Senior Adviser to the US President Jared Kushner, Assistant to the President and Special Representative for International Negotiations Jason Greenblatt, and the accompanying delegation currently on a regional tour.

During the meeting, held at Al Husseiniya Palace, discussions covered the strategic partnership between Jordan and the United States, and cooperation in various fields, as well as the latest regional and international developments.

King Abdullah expressed appreciation for the United States’ support to help Jordan implement several development programmes, and to mitigate difficulties resulting from regional crises.

His Majesty stressed the need to reach just and comprehensive peace in the region that enables the Palestinian people to fulfil their legitimate aspirations to establish an independent Palestinian state on the June 4, 1967 lines with East Jerusalem as its capital.

The King underlined the importance of breaking the stalemate in the peace process to relaunch serious and effective Palestinian-Israeli negotiations based on the two-state solution, the Arab peace initiative, international law and relevant UN resolutions. His Majesty also noted the important role of the United States in this regard.

The King reaffirmed that the subject of Jerusalem must be settled as part of final status issues, as the holy city is key to achieving peace in the region.

His Majesty stressed that Jordan will continue upholding its historical role in safeguarding Islamic and Christian holy sites in Jerusalem, in accordance with the Hashemite Custodianship.

Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi and Adviser to His Majesty and Director of the Office of His Majesty Manar Dabbas attended the meeting.

AMMAN — The Advisory Commission of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) on Tuesday concluded a two-day meeting in Jordan, where they discussed support for the agency, as it continues striving to meet the needs of Palestine refugees in the region, a UNRWA statement said. 

“It has been an extraordinarily difficult year for UNRWA and I am very encouraged by the first phase of mobilisation in response to our funding crisis," said UNRWA Commissioner-General Pierre Krähenbühl, stressing that "it is extremely important that, so far, we have protected the school year and other vital services". 

He voiced appreciation to UNRWA's partners, including donors who advanced their funding for the year, as well as Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the UAE, which "have committed the lion’s share of additional support this year, sending a strong message to Palestine refugees and the wider international community”.

While progress is being made to address UNRWA’s needs in 2018, the Agency underlined the severity of the risks ahead, with more than $250 million in further support required to preserve UNRWA’s core and emergency assistance the second half of the year, the statement read. 

Krähenbühl said: “At stake is access to schooling for a generation of Palestine refugee youth; access to essential healthcare in and around 58 refugee camps; and emergency assistance to millions of insecure refugees in an unstable region.” 

In light of the upcoming pledging conference for UNRWA in New York on June 25, the commissioner-general insisted on the need to "respect the hope and dignity of Palestine refugees", and reiterated his urgent call for all partners "to stay on a successful collective path for the sake of the Palestine refugee community”. 

UNRWA is confronted with an increased demand for services resulting from a growth in the number of registered Palestine refugees, the extent of their vulnerability and their deepening poverty, the statement noted, pointing out that the Agency is funded almost entirely by voluntary contributions.

AMMAN — A Royal Decree was issued on Tuesday approving the appointment of the heads and members of the boards of trustees of the official universities for a period of four years starting from June 3, 2018, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

In accordance with the Royal Decree, Adnan Badran is appointed chairman of the board of trustees of the University of Jordan, Khalid Omari as chairman of the board of trustees of Yarmouk University, Yousef Qusous as chairman of the board of trustees of Mutah University and Munther Haddadin as chairman of the board of trustees of Jordan University of Science and Technology, and Mohammed Adnan Bakheet as chairman of the board of trustees of Al al-Bayt University.

Yassin Hasban was appointed as chairman of the board of trustees of the Hashemite University, Hisham Al Khatib as chairman of the board of trustees of Balqa Applied University, Mohammed Thneibat as chairman of the board of trustees of Al Hussein Bin Talal University, Sabri Rbeihat as chairman of the board of trustees of  Tafileh Technical University, and Othman Badir as chairman of the board of trustees of the German Jordanian University.

Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research and Chairman of the Higher Education Council Adel Tweisi said on Tuesday that the Jordanian Universities Law No. (18) of 2018 included in its texts the members categories of the boards of trustees of the official universities as follows: chairman of the board of trustees, four academic members with the rank of professor from outside the university, three members from the industry and commerce sector, four members from experts and opinion leaders and the president of the university.

Tweisi added that the Higher Education Council is keen to ensure diversity in the board of trustees’ formation and that the council made sure to represent the youth group for the first time and to take into consideration the representation of women in these councils, in addition to representing the heads of provincial councils close to those universities to ensure roles integrity and that the university fulfills its mission in the field of community service within a participatory and complementary approach.

The Decree included the appointment of HRH Princess Sumaya as chairman of the board of trustees of Princess Sumaya University for Technology, Mohammed Horani as chairman of the board of trustees of Amman Private University, Yaqoub Adel Nasraldin as chairman of the board of trustees of the Middle East University, Mousa Shehadeh as chairman of the board of trustees of Petra University, Mohammed Saqour as chairman of the board of trustees of the Irbid National University, Bassam Talhouni as chairman of the board of trustees of Al Hussein Technical University and Samir Habashneh as chairman of the board of trustees of Zarqa University.

Walid Asfour was appointed as chairman of the board of trustees of Philadelphia Private University, Bishop William Hanna Shomali as chairman of the board of trustees of the American University in Madaba, Nabil Sharif as chairman of the board of trustees of the Faculty of Educational Sciences and Arts/UNRWA, Adnan Bilbisi as chairman of the Council of the University of Applied Sciences, Saleh Irshaidat as chairman of the board of trustees of Jadra University, Abdul Salam Majali as chairman of the board of trustees of the Aqaba University of Technology, Omar Jazi as chairman of the board of trustees of Amman Arab University, Eid Al Fayez as chairman of the board of trustees of Al Zaytoonah University of Jordan, Mohammad Al Smadi as chairman of the board of trustees of Ajloun National University and Mohammad Rabee as chairman of the board of trustees of Jerash University.

AMMAN — Chairman of the Joint Chiefs-of-Staff Lt. Gen. Mahmoud Freihat on Tuesday received the Chief-of-Staff of the Dutch Defence Forces Lt. Gen. Robert Peter Baunr and his accompanying delegation, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

During the meeting, the two parties discussed the latest regional and international developments, as well as cooperation and coordination in a number of issues related to the armed forces of the two friendly countries. The meeting was attended by the Dutch Ambassador Barbara Joziasse and the Dutch defence attaché in Amman.

AMMAN — Prime Minister Omar Razzaz on Tuesday disclosed his financial status in accordance with the Illicit Fortunes Law during a visit to the Financial Disclosure Department at the Justice Ministry, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

Razzaz urged all ministers to provide their financial disclosures at the department in accordance with the law. The Illicit Fortunes Law commits the prime minister, Cabinet members and senior employees included in its regulations to provide their own financial disclosures and those of their wives’ and minor children, Petra reported.

AMMAN — Labour Minister Samir Murad on Tuesday decided to commission Mohammad Yassin as acting chief of the Social Security Corporation (SSC), the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

The designation of Yassin, who was the SSC's deputy director general for financial affairs, came after the appointment of former director general Ezzedine Kanakrieh as minister of finance in the new government headed by Prime Minister Omar Razzaz.

The decision is effective as of Tuesday, June 19, 2018 and will last until the appointment of a new director general.

AMMAN — The Independent Election Commission’s (IEC) Chairman Khaled Al Kalaldeh on Tuesday welcomed a delegation from the Permanent Electoral Authority of Romania (RPEA) who came to learn about the Jordanian experience in managing parliamentary, municipal and local elections.

The two parties discussed means of cooperation in relation to the electoral process at various stages, a statement by the IEC said. The IEC’s departments’ directors presented the mechanisms implemented by the commission to update the voters’ registers in order to ensure the integrity of the electoral process. They discussed the cases of individuals who have legal reasons that omitted their names from the electoral records, in coordination with the Civil Status and Passports Department, among other related parties.

During the three-day visit, the Romanian delegation, which includes directors and specialists in electoral processes and information technology, will be briefed on the IEC’s experience in electronic connectivity, its role in the success of the Jordanian electoral process and in gaining the trust of Jordanian citizens. They will also receive briefings on the objectives of the training plans prepared by the IEC for data entry and technical liaison officers and mechanisms of implementation.

AMMAN — Two people died by drowning in two separate cases on Tuesday, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported. In the first case, a 40 year old drowned in the Ghandour Beach area in Aqaba.

The Information and Preventive Awareness Department in the General Directorate of Civil Defence said that the diving teams of Aqaba Civil Defence Directorate retrieved the body and evacuated it to Prince Hashem Military Hospital.

In the second case, a 26 year old drowned in an agricultural pond while practicing swimming in the Zubaidiyah area of Mafraq.

The diving teams of Mafraq Civil Defence Directorate retrieved the body from the pond and evacuated it to Mafraq Governmental Hospital.

AMMAN — The Jordan Tourism Board ‘s (JTB) Director General Abdul Razzaq Arabiyat on Tuesday announced the launch of a new direct airway between Aqaba and the Slovakian capital Bratislava, a JTB statement said on Tuesday.

Arabiyat said that one trip will be operated per week between the two cities as of Wednesday, stressing that the 190-passenger flights will enhance tourism in the seaside city of Aqaba, located 350km south of Amman.

The director noted that the board is also working on supporting low-cost and charter flights to the Kingdom, after Jordan recently signed a deal with Ryanair budget airline to operate flights to the country.