Local

AMMAN — His Majesty King Abdullah on Thursday received a letter from Ivory Coast President Alassane Ouattara on the development of bilateral ties and increase of coordination, which was delivered by visiting Ivory Coast Foreign Minister Marcel Amon Tanoh during his meeting with Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi on Thursday.

Safadi and Tanoh went over steps to be taken to enhance economic and trade cooperation between both countries which intensified their contacts in recent years to widen their scopes of cooperation, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

The ministers also discussed means to develop cooperation in the defence and security fields.

The two sides agreed to put certain mechanisms in place to boost cooperation in the pharmaceutical, agricultural and trade sectors and to define the agreements needed ensure reaching such momentum. Both ministers agreed to organise meetings for both countries’ private sectors.

Safadi and Tanoh reviewed the latest regional developments, mainly those related to the Palestinian issue and the Syrian crisis, as well as the efforts exerted in the war against terrorism, which they stressed as constituting a common threat that has to be uprooted from the Middle East, and the entire world.

Safadi acquainted the Ivorian minister with His Majesty’s efforts in realising regional peace and stability through reaching a comprehensive solution to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict on the basis of the two-state solution that guarantees the establishment of an independent Palestinian state on the pre-1967 lines with East Jerusalem as its capital.

He also briefed him on the Kingdom’s efforts in ending the Syrian crisis through a political solution that preserves the country’s territorial integrity and receives the approval of Syrians according to the UN Security Council Resolution 2254.

For his part, Tanoh expressed appreciation for Jordan’s support to his country and commended the Kingdom’s role, through participating in the UN peacekeeping forces, in maintaining the stability of Ivory Coast.

He expressed keenness to continue coordinating with the Kingdom on various regional issues, especially that as his country is now a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council. 

AMMAN — Tourism stakeholders on Thursday commended the widening of a large part of Wadi Namala road for its contributions to shortening the travel time from Petra to Wadi Araba and the Dead Sea.

Namalah is a vital shortcut from Petra to many other attractions including the Dead Sea and the only direct road between Petra and Feynan Eco-lodge, located in Wadi Araba region.

Travel agents and tourist guides also called for widening the whole road but the Petra Development and Tourism Region Authority (PDTRA) said that such project would “harm the surrounding landscape and ancient monuments along the street”. 

On Wednesday, Public Works and Housa Minister Sami Halasa inaugurated a 10-kilometre part of the road that with a cost of JD4 million, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, said.

Part of the road falls within the boundaries of PDTRA, which pledged to maintain it with consideration to the special archaeological and natural features the road passes through.

PDTRA Deputy Chief Commissioner Suleiman Farajat said that, due the road’s surrounding landscape being “an attraction itself” full of ancient monuments, the authority prefers not to open a highway. Instead, it will allow some reconstructions with strict touristic and natural standards.

Usama Twal, a tourist guide, said he does not support widening the road because “it would damage ancient monuments scattered on its sides”. 

For the Jordan Society of Tourism and Travel Agents President Mohammad Samih, all parts of the road should be reconstructed so that vehicles carrying tourists can use it, saving both time and money. 

“In addition to economic benefits, the road will shorten the driving time to various sites such as the Dead Sea or the Baptism Site,” Samih added.

Tourist driver Omar Mustafa said that Namalah takes one hour less than routes going up to Amman then descending back to the Dead Sea.

For Jordan Tourist Guides Association President Hasan Ababneh, the road is a vital alternative during weather and other emergencies.

“Sometimes, vehicles cannot use the desert highway during sand storms. Without Namalah, tourists would have to wait and waste a lot of time,” he explained.

Large-sized buses cannot use the road the whole way to Petra due to only two very narrow curves near the heritage site, according to Ababneh, who said that he has informed the Tourism Ministry since last year but has received no answer so far.

“Without Namalah, locals have to travel hundreds of additional kilometres to reach Mann, 220km south of Amman,” MP of southern Badia district Shaha Amareen told The Jordan Times, noting that, with the new renovations, the local societies will also work on establishing a bus company to carry locals to Maan and Petra.

The Namalah road has been used by the local communities of Feynan, Qreiqra and other regions in Wadi Araba, for centuries, used by Bedouins to travel to Maan, the main city in southern Jordan, she said.

AMMAN — The UN Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO) on Thursday organised a tour of Amman’s Garment Design and Training Services Centre to check on the achievements of the beneficiaries of the EU and Italy-funded project “Development of Clusters in Cultural and Creative Industries in the Southern Mediterranean”.

Upon arrival, the delegation was briefed on the centre’s progress and future plans by CEO Ameed Abdel Qader before proceeding to pop up shops at Abdali Boulevard. 

Launched in February 2014, the project aims to develop clusters in selected creative and cultural industries (CCI) in seven countries across the region, including Jordan, Lebanon, Palestine, Egypt, Tunisia, Algeria and Morocco.

“In Jordan, the project started at the end of 2015 to support the development of the Amman Fashion Cluster, which included the introduction of the first ever industrial-based Jordanian fashion collection ‘JO!’,” said Sulafa Mdanat, UNIDO country representative, adding “entirely designed by a team of Jordanian women with the involvement of local suppliers fulfilling the whole supply chain requirements, JO! is the very first creative cluster in Jordan”. 

“Through this project, UNIDO aims to developing this cluster to increase its output and competitiveness through a set of activities related to increasing the added value, quality and business capacities,” she told The Jordan Times.

 JO! by Creative Jordan offers a modern reinterpretation of the bedouin traditional clothing, aimed at reviving the unique “diamond” Jordanian embroidery stitch which gradually disappeared throughout the years.

“Sophisticated and unexpected, these casual pieces offer a modern take on a long revered tradition,” said Dina Maqdah, adding “the bedouin world is our main source of inspiration, as we translated traditional drawings into asymmetric, unusual embroidery placements. We don’t want to copy existing models, but create contemporary pieces which are adapted to the international market, to help our culture survive and improve our living conditions”.

The brand also uses the traditional Indigo-Blue hand-dyed fabric to replace contemporary denim fabric, further emphasising local traditions in its creations. For Maqdah, the collection represents “the contrast of Amman”, where the old and the modern are juxtaposed in a fitting combination.

“We started the project with a team of UNIDO mapping experts, who interviewed over 500 persons throughout the seven participating countries, identifying over 140 clusters covering a wide array of industries, ranging from ceramics to textiles and handicrafts,” said Mdanat, stressing that “the high level of proposals received testifies to the great interest in developing CCI clusters in the region”.

“The targeted industries consist of SMEs operating for the local market, with low and occasional exports to neighbouring markets. They were then selected by a national steering committee formed in each country,” she continued.

Due to their classification within the low – medium quality category, their lack of professional capacities for industrial orientation and little or no connection to textile factories, these creators are facing high competition from cheaper imports, leaving them to operate on an individual basis, according to the UN official, who said that the beneficiaries underwent training in the training in the fields of creativity, added value, industry elvents, and business elements. following an  action plan adopted by the national steering committee.

Commenting on the project, the designer Giulio Vinaccia, who coordinates activities for Creative Mediterranean, said: “We are not creating products, we create a system.” 

The officials then proceeded to Abdali Boulevard, where they met with Jordanian textile designers who displayed some of their work and shared their personal experiences as beneficiaries of the project. 

“The idea was to give young female designers the means to reconnect with their traditions, and in this way their heritage, and reinterpret that in contemporary models. Through the creation of their first collection, they have been able to reinvent themselves and regain their self-confidence,” Vinaccia said.

The Abdali pop-up shows will be replicated in various parts of Amman for the trained designers to showcase their products to the public, according to Mdanat.

The other 11 clusters included in the project encompass a jewellery and brass cluster in Algeria; a jewellery and a furniture cluster in Lebanon; a garment/fashion and a homeware cluster for Morocco; a Palestinian handicrafts and furniture cluster; and a kitchenware and a mosaic cluster for Tunisia.

The project, which comes at a total cost of 5.6 million Euros, is funded by the EU with a financial contribution from the Italian Cooperation. It is implemented by UNIDO and is expected to conclude by the end of this year, according to a UNIDO statement.

AMMAN — President of Austria Alexander Van der Bellen and his wife on Thursday concluded their official visit with a tour of the Amman Citadel, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported. 

During their tour of the site, they were briefed on its history and main archaeological monuments, such as the temple of Hercules, the ancient Byzantine church, and Umayyad monuments. 

The president was joined by his accompanying delegation and the Jordanian Ambassador in Austria Hussam Husseini and his wife. 

Later in the day, Van der Bellen and his wife left the Kingdom after concluding a multiday official visit during which the president met with His Majesty King Abdullah over Jordanian-Austrian ties and the latest regional developments, according to Petra.

Discussions between King Abdullah and the Austrian president covered opportunities to increase trade exchange and enhance economic cooperation, especially in the fields of technical education, agriculture and tourism.

They also stressed the importance of building public-private sector partnerships in both countries and benefitting from Austrian expertise in the fields of vocational training, business incubators and entrepreneurship, in addition to opening new markets for Jordanian products.

Van der Bellen was seen off by State Minister for Media Affairs Mohammad Momani, Amman Mayor Yousef Shawarbeh and civil and military officials.

AMMAN — The private sector is and should always be a key partner in enhancing development in the Arab region, a top UN official said, highlighting the efforts Jordan has exerted in that direction.

In an exclusive interview with The Jordan Times as part of her regional tour, UNDP Arab States Deputy Director Sarah Poole commended the achievements made by the Kingdom in its implementation of the Sustainable Agenda 2030, especially in terms of inclusive growth.

“Since the start of the Syrian crisis, Jordan has been bearing a huge burden and has yet managed to build on its national capacities to enhance communities’ resilience both for the refugees and the local communities,” she noted, highlighting the government’s inclusion of local communities in its resilience approach.

The UN official on Monday took part in the signing of an agreement between the UN Development Programme and Zain Jordan which entailed the endorsement and recognition of the corporate sustainability programmes being implemented throughout the years.

"UNDP's work aims to engage all partners in the reform agenda for sustainable development, and not solely focus on humanitarian aid,” Poole pointed out, stressing the need to “find innovative ways to support community based resilience within the population itself.”

"The response to the Syrian crisis, both in Jordan and the region as a whole, needs to follow a medium- and longer-term vision, which includes all areas of work including livelihood work opportunities, women’s rights, civil society participation, youth, and other issues,” she said, highlighting the relevance of integrated partnerships with all sectors to foster participatory discussions and inputs.

“Contrary to our past strategy, which was much more segmented through sectorial projects, we are now striving to bring all stakeholders together, both public and private, to address the points of tension and enhance social cohesion in society in a dynamic integrated approach,” Poole noted, highlighting the strong partnerships existent among all UN agencies in the Kingdom.

“As a global entity composed of numerous agencies, we cannot rely on a top down approach; we must rather provide support and facilitation to convene all groups so they can identify their needs and develop localised, participatory solutions to their obstacles,” she continued, praising Jordan’s efforts in “contextualising the global development agenda to its local, national and regional needs and challenges”.

“This agreement with ZainJo, which has been one of the earliest private sector's adapters of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in Jordan, will pave the way in strengthening and deepening further partnerships between the UN and private entities,” she commented, noting that “Jordan will also be better equipped to leverage the rich potential of emerging technologies".

Acknowledging the number of challenges still facing the region and the Kingdom in particular, she highlighted Jordan’s continuous efforts to integrate SDGs in its governmental policies and frameworks, in collaboration with various UN country teams.

 “During my visit to the Kingdom, I was able to witness a number of innovative partnerships between the government, the private sector and local and international organisations, which are concrete proof of the success of the SDGs' collaborative implementation,” she concluded.

AMMAN — Minister of State for Media Affairs Mohammad Momani on Thursday reconfirmed that the US decision to relocate its embassy to Jerusalem is “null and void”, noting that it lacks legal status, harms the peace process and only serves extremist organisations.

Momani’s remarks came during his weekly interview on the Jordan Television’s morning show “News and Dialogue”, in response to a question on a tweet by US President Donald Trump saying that Washington plans to relocate its embassy in May. 

The minister, who is also the government spokesperson, noted that the absence of a just solution to the Palestinian issue is causing despair and feeding extremism in the region, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported. 

Jordan has always stressed and will continue to affirm the international consensus on the invalidity of the US decision, he underscored, adding that the resolution was unilateral and will neither serve the peace process nor contribute to a just settlement to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. 

Replying to a question about the replacement of US troops in Syria with Arab forces, Momani said that official stances cannot be built on information circulated on media outlets.

He added that the Kingdom’s stance towards the Syrian crisis has always called for a political solution based on UN resolutions that guarantee the unity of Syrians and the territorial integrity of the country.

Locally, he described talks on amendments to the Elections Law as a “civilised national status”, highlighting that the matter is still under negotiations among political and parliamentary figures.

This phase has to take enough time and go through all required efforts to reach certain ideas that political powers can discuss so as to serve the political reform process, the minister pointed out. 

As for bank robberies, Momani condemned the people taking to social media to express their sympathy with robbers, describing sympathisers as “criminals against themselves and their society”.

In this regard, he said that ensuring security for banks and financial institutions requires cooperation between the sector and official organisations through a security system that guarantees protection and safety for all financial institutions.

Asked about hybrid vehicles, Momani said that the government granted merchants a month to finalise clearance for their hybrid vehicles, noting that the government’s policy on this type of cars has achieved its goals and led to an increase in their number in the Kingdom. 

The government seeks to encourage fully electric cars, the minister added, pinning hopes for such a move to contribute to increasing their number in light of their role in positively reflecting on the environment, infrastructure and reducing fuel consumption.

AMMAN — The government on Wednesday halted the decision to open the door for investments in pharmacies coming from non-pharmacists and companies owned by professionals out of the field, according to the Jordanian Pharmacists Association (JPhA). 

The decision comes in contrast to the draft system for the licensing of pharmaceutical institutions, which is currently under revision by the Legislative Council.

In an interview on Thursday, JPhA President Zeid Kilani told The Jordan Times that the government’s decision builds on a meeting held by the union last Monday, where the representatives provided the Legislative Council with several examples of countries where the legislation on pharmacies does not allow investments from outside the sector. 

“It is worth noting that the situation of those countries which have succeeded in allowing such investments is very different from the situation we are experiencing in the Kingdom,” Kilani said, explaining that “while countries such as the US, UK or Netherlands were suffering from a lack of pharmacies, Jordan has one of the highest rate of pharmacies per capita”.

“Pharmacy is a profession, and allowing investments coming from outside the sector would turn it into a business, leading to conflicts of interests and malpractice at the expense of the wellbeing of the Jordanian people,” Kilani stressed.

The JPhA held a second meeting on Thursday in the presence of Health Minister Mahmoud Sheyyab and Minister of Justice Awad Abu Jarad to discuss the need to increase the minimum distance between pharmacies. 

“Jordan is currently suffering from clusters of pharmacies concentrated in the same location, while citizens based in other areas have to take transportation from their homes to access a pharmacy,” Kilani told The Jordan Times, stressing that “the minimum distance between pharmacies should be raised to 500 metres if we want all citizens to be able to access the service while preventing competition and malpractice”.

Kilani also noted that the methods used to measure the distance between pharmacies should be changed, as techniques used so far allow “human errors”, while a GPS measurement system between coordinates would be more accurate.

“It is surprising to see the government refusing to adopt this measure, especially considering King Abdullah’s mandate to adopt technology to enhance policies and procedures,” Kilani concluded. 

AMMAN — A book highlighting the main challenges faced by Jordan and the WANA region was launched on Thursday by the West Asia-North Africa (WANA) Institute and Friedrich-Ebert-Stitfung (FES), under the patronage of HRH Prince Hassan.

“A Region in Motion: Reflections from West Asia-North Africa” gathers a selection of articles produced by several researchers of WANA Institute through 2017.

 Commenting at the book launch Minister of Social Development Hala Lattouf said: “The challenges facing Jordan and the WANA region should not be considered in isolation as local governance challenges are intertwined with geopolitical challenges.”

Following the presentation of a range of challenges stemming from the regional instability, authors outlined a set of recommendations and possible solutions addressed to policy makers. 

“Never before has it been more important to look at what is happening in the present and understand it to better prevent it in the future,” said WANA Institute’s Director Erica Harper. 

Issues covered in the book include the rise of violent extremism, the role of civil society, the Syrian refugee crisis, women empowerment in rural areas or climate change, among others. 

For Lara Nassar, a senior WANA researcher in sustainable development, the aim of the research was “to try to bridge the gap between local communities and the government”.  

The authors’ work was based on extensive conversations with members of the civil society, local NGOs and think tanks, with the aim of compiling evidence based data from the region on various topics. 

One of the main challenges encountered by the researchers was to analyse the spread of violent extremism threat, according to the authors, who also provided a set of recommendations to prevent the rise of Jordanians joining armed groups. 

“The Jordanian youth should be part of the political process and should be represented in different government platforms,” said Mahmoud Nabulsi, team leader of the civil society branch of WANA Institute, adding “we should have a governmental programme aimed at graduates who usually have to wait for a couple of years before getting a job due to the high rates of unemployment, leaving them to become prey to armed groups.”

Nabulsi called on policy makers present at the launch to create policies addressed to youngsters.

 The WANA team also highlighted the differences between governorates in Jordan, especially in terms of gender issues and socioeconomic situations. 

“We discovered that Maan, Al Salt and Irbid are pockets of violent extremism,” said Neven Bondokji, team leader of countering violent extremism at WANA Institute. 

Funded by FES Jordan and Iraq, the research will have a “positive impact” on neighbouring countries’ researchers, according to FES Iraq resident director Tim Petschulat, who said “The understanding of the Jordanian society will help us to better collaborate with them on regional issues as this work is based on knowledge from the region by the region.” 

AMMAN — People are responding and showing cooperation to a municipal initiative that is ridding the streets of the capital from abandoned vehicles, an official said on Wednesday, noting that scores of cars have already been removed this year by their owners. 

The Greater Amman Municipality (GAM) is scheduled to remove 450 abandoned vehicles from Amman’s streets this year, Raed Haddadin, head of GAM’s construction monitoring department, said, noting that dozens of the already-spotted abandoned cars have been removed.

 “GAM issued warnings to owners of abandoned cars found parked and abandoned on the sides of the streets. People have actually responded and a total of 147 abandoned cars have been towed away since the start of the year by their own owners,” Haddadin told The Jordan Times. 

He noted that GAM resumed removing abandoned vehicles from the capital’s streets after completing a tender project, noting that the completion of the tender signaled that start of this year’s removal of old cars left on the sides of streets.

 “Since the start of this month, GAM teams have already removed 40 abandoned cars,” Haddadin noted.

 What started as a campaign turned into a permanent effort that seeks to rid the streets of the capital of causes of visual and environmental pollution by towing away all cars left on the sides of the streets to a guarded location east of the capital. 

The municipality started the initiative in 2011 due to the excessive number of abandoned cars left for years across the city.

 Since the launch of the campaign, the municipality has towed away over 7,000 cars, with the majority of the cars being removed from industrial areas around the capital, according to GAM.

 The initiative started with the aim of improving the appearance and cleanliness of the capital, but later became a regulated effort after the municipality realised that huge numbers of abandoned cars were parked on the streets, with some of them being used by young people for negative practices, such as drug use. 

In addition, wrecked vehicles also take up part of the road and create traffic jams in some cases, according to GAM, which said that the abandoned cars are either left because they are damaged and rusty or belong to several people as part of an inheritance. 

In the clean-up campaign, implemented in cooperation with the Central Traffic Department, GAM teams locate abandoned vehicles and notify their owners of the need to remove them. They mark vehicles with stickers informing their owners to remove them within a 14-day period before they are towed away.

 If the owners do not comply, the abandoned vehicles are towed to a six-dunum impound lot near the Ring Road. Owners can retrieve their impounded vehicles after paying fees for transport as well as fees for each day their car was impounded, depending on the size of the vehicle, according to the municipality.

AMMAN — HRH Prince Hassan on Thursday attended the inauguration of a workshop titled "A new model for sustainable and integrated local development for host communities and refugee camps: Zaatari camp in Jordan as a case study", the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported. During the workshop, organised by the Yarmouk University's Refugee, Displaced Persons and Forced Migration studies Centre, the International Cooperation Agency of the Association of Netherlands Municipalities and the Municipality of Amsterdam, Prince Hassan highlighted the importance of building social peace and cooperation and enhancing regional partnerships in economy, energy, water and food.