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AMMAN — German Federal Minister of Defence Ursula von der Leyen on Sunday voiced her country’s commitment to helping, through aid, Jordan maintain its security and stability.

“Jordan is a reliable and strong partner in a troubled region … a partner with whom we seek close and sustainable cooperation,” the minister said during a ceremony on Sunday that saw the delivery of military equipment to the Jordan Armed Forces/Arab Army (JAF). 

The handover of the military equipment came within the framework of the 2016 “Enable and Enhance Initiative” aimed at strengthening the Kingdom’s military capabilities, according to a German embassy statement to The Jordan Times.

The military equipment included 70 Mercedes-Benz Zetros (off-road trucks), 56 minibuses, Mercedes Sprinter and two training planes, with a total value of 18 million euros, the statement said. 

“Jordan was a priority partner country of our German ‘Enable and Enhance Initiative’,” the minister said.

“Jordan shares a 380-kilometre border with Syria.  Violence does not stop at this border; it is a gateway for terrorists,” the visiting minister said, adding: ”And it is of utmost importance that this border is controlled also
from the air.” 

“This is why I am particularly pleased that today we can hand over two trainer aircraft to the Jordanian Air Force.”

The minister also highlighted Jordan’s security challenges and burdens resulting from hosting a large number of refugees, pledging continued German assistance to alleviate these burdens. 

“Jordan truly set an example in humanity and selflessness when it came to giving shelter to more than 1 million people fleeing,” violence back home. 

The minister said that Germany is assisting refugee-burdened Jordan in many ways, including the job initiative “cash for work”, funding school teachers’ salaries in the double-shift programmes and by providing drinking water to refugees and to the local communities accommodating them.

“Let me assure you: Germany will continue to stand by your side. We are convinced that despite tremendous challenges, Jordan stands solid as a rock,” she concluded.

AMMAN — The Senate’s Finance and Economy Committee on Sunday endorsed the 2018 draft state budget and budgets of independent government units draft laws as referred from the Lower House.

In a meeting chaired by Senator Rajai Muasher, the panel issued a report calling on the government to draw a comprehensive framework that identifies the concept of “self-reliance” in cooperation with the private sector and civil society organisations, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

The report highlighted the importance for the government not to exceed expenditures mentioned for any item in the budget, noting that, in the case of insufficient financial allocations, a budget supplement should be issued before starting further expenditure.

The report urged the government, once it finishes studies on family expenditures, to assess whether financial support for citizens can cover extra costs incurred as a result of removing bread subsidy and cancelling sales tax exemptions on main consumer items.

It also recommended setting a compressive plan to stop wasting public money by preparing a study that identifies and addresses wasting public money under the relevant laws. 

The report referred to waste of money resulting from embarking on capital projects before ensuring their economic and social benefits and sustainability.

Proposals also included setting new criteria for medical treatments, with the government committing to expenditures within the set limits and beneficiaries incurring at least 10 per cent of medicine and test costs. 

Furthermore, the report recommended drafting a media plan that has periodic information on the government’s commitment not to exceed financial allocations mentioned in the budget items, calling on the government to follow a clear and transparent method in making economic decisions.

Meanwhile, Senate President Faisal Fayez called on members of the Upper House to convene on Monday to discuss the two draft laws, according to Petra. 

AMMAN — Russia on Sunday lauded Jordan’s approval to allow a one-day aid delivery to Rukban refugee camp inside Syria, blaming the US for blocking such access from inside Syria.

In a comment by the Information and Press Department of the Russian ministry of foreign affairs on the situation at the Rukban Syrian refugee camp near the Syrian-Jordanian border, cited in a statement by the Russian embassy in Amman, Moscow said it welcomes “the delivery of relief supplies to those stranded in Rukban. 

“At the same time, we insist that the territorial integrity and independence of Syria be respected and international humanitarian law be observed during the delivery of relief supplies.”

The statement said that US troops are in control of the 55-sq.km area around Al Tanf,  where Rukban is located. 

The area is “de facto occupied by US forces [and thus] no Syrian army units or representatives of the legitimate authorities of the Syrian Arab Republic are allowed into the... zone”, the statement said.

“The training of militants for illegal Syrian armed formations continues at US strongholds. Meanwhile, for UN humanitarian convoys trying to reach Rukban from Syrian territory, the ‘border’ remains tightly sealed.”

“According to various sources, an estimated 60,000 people in the Rukban camp are in an extremely dire situation, short of food and medicines,” the statement added.

“We regard as unacceptable attempts by Washington to justify the use of military force against the sovereignty and territorial inviolability of the Syrian Arab Republic. Assurances by the United States that its military [forces] are allegedly staying on Syrian soil for the purpose of fighting terrorists are unconvincing and open to criticism. We demand that all restrictions on access for convoys of food and medicines be lifted and that humanitarian operations in the area be more transparent.”

Jordan has allowed the entry of humanitarian aid to the Rukban camp for a single time to the displaced Syrians after the UN presented a plan in which it pledged to deliver future assistance to the camp from Syria, Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Mohammad Kayed said recently.

The international organisation resorted to Jordan as Damascus had failed to respond to a request to grant access to the area. 

Jordan declared the northern and northeastern border areas closed military zones in June 2016, in the aftermath of a terrorist attack that targeted a military post serving refugees near the border, killing seven security forces and injuring 13 others.

AMMAN — A high-level delegation from the Municipality of Barcelona on Sunday started a visit to Jordan, headed by counsellor of international relations, cooperation, global justice and gender Laura Pérez, according to a statement from the Spanish embassy.

The delegation, which includes the municipality’s director of global justice and cooperation David Llistar as well several experts from the municipal institute for the rights of persons with disabilities, aims at strengthening the cooperation between the municipality of Barcelona and the Jordanian authorities, with a special focus on the rights of persons with disabilities.

Started in 2016, the cooperation includes the Higher Council for the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and the Greater Amman Municipality, which work to improve the accessibility and mobility of persons with disabilities as a part of urban planning, according to the statement. 

“Barcelona is an example of accessible city, which has contributed, among other factors, to its becoming a touristic destination of choice for persons with disabilities,” the statement read.

The delegation on Sunday met with HH Prince Mired, president of the Higher Council for the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, and Yusef Shawarbeh, mayor of Amman.

They will also visit the refugee camps of Arzaq and Zaatari and prepare a report on mobility of persons with disabilities, upon a request by UNICEF-Spain. The delegations will also visit Mafraq, where the local authorities are studying ways of cooperation with the Spanish municipality.

Concerning the Amman municipality, the negotiation of a memorandum of understanding which should settle a stable framework for the institutional relations between both municipalities is expected, together with the technical meetings scheduled on the adaptation of the urban environment to the rights of persons with disabilities, the statement read.

The embassy statement said that it “looked forward to this visit as an outstanding expression of our cooperation in the field of human rights and, in particular, of the rights of persons with disabilities; for the enforcement of which the local level is the most adequate due to its closeness with citizens”.

AMMAN — The Criminal Court on Sunday sentenced a 24-year-old man to death after convicting him of robbing and murdering a taxi driver in Madaba in June 2012.

The court also sentenced a 20-year-old man to 15 years in prison after convicting him of complicity in the premeditated murder and robbery of the 27-year-old taxi driver.

“The defendants stood motionless upon hearing the presiding judge read their verdicts,” a senior judicial source, who attended the hearing, told The Jordan Times.

Both men were standing trial at the Criminal Court on charges of the premeditated murder of a taxi driver in the Wadi Heidan area in Madaba Governorate, 30 kilometres southwest of Amman, on June 20.

Court papers said the defendant plotted to murder the taxi driver because “they thought he was an informant for the authorities”.

“The defendants were illegal drug users and believed that the victim was working as an undercover informant for the authorities and had informed the authorities that they were users,” the court documents said.

On the day of the murder, the court maintained, the defendants pulled over the victim and asked him to give them a lift to a remote area.

“On the way, they asked him to stop and following a brief discussion, the older defendant pulled a gun and the victim attempted to run away but he was shot to death,” according to court papers.

The defendants then dragged his body over 400 metres, buried it under rocks, took the victim’s mobile and left, the court maintained.

The victim’s body was found four days after the murder in the Wadi Heidan area, while his taxi was discovered in a deserted area in Madaba two days after his disappearance.

Sunday’s verdicts will automatically be reviewed by the Court of Cassation within the next 30 days.

AMMAN — The Court of Cassation on Sunday upheld a recent Criminal Court ruling to stop the legal prosecution of a man who married his sexually assaulted victim in 2016 as stipulated in the cancelled Article 308 of the Penal Code.

The defendant was being tried at the Criminal Court on charges of molesting a woman seven times in October 2016.

However, the defendant married the victim during the trial, which secured him a case dismissal by the court on condition that he remains married to the woman for five years.

The general attorney at the Criminal Court Jihad Dureidi had decided to appeal the verdict, asking the higher court to overturn it and to hand the defendant the maximum punishment. He referred to the fact that Article 308 had been abolished in August by the Parliament and upheld by a Royal decree, a senior judicial source said.

“Dureidi attempted to secure the maximum punishment since the law was abolished, but the higher court ruled that the new law came into effect on October 29, 2017, after it was published in the official Gazette,” the judicial source told The Jordan Times.

The controversial Article 308 was abolished following a recommendation by a Royal committee and the endorsement of the government before the Parliament voted for cancellation in August.

Article 308 has been heavily criticised by women and rights activists, as it allows sexual assault perpetrators to avoid punishment if they marry their victims, provided that they remain married for three to five years, depending on the nature of the sexual assault.

AMMAN — HRH Crown Prince Hussein on Sunday arrived in Abu Dhabi to take part in Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week (ADSW) 2018, according to a Royal Court statement. Upon arrival, the Crown Prince was received by the Chief of the Crown Prince Court of Abu Dhabi Sheikh Hamid Al Nahyan.

The largest sustainability gathering in the Middle East, ADSW is dedicated to furthering understanding of the major social, economic and environmental trends shaping the world’s sustainable development, and to empowering the global community to realise viable and effective strategies to mitigate climate change, according to ADSW website. 

AMMAN — HRH Princess Dana Firas, president of the National Association for the Conservation of Petra and UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador, on Sunday visited a centre for training sculptors in Mafraq, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

The centre, implemented by World Monuments Fund (WMF) and funded by the British Council, aims to increase awareness about heritage and training young Jordanians and Syrians on stone works.

During the visit, the princess noted the importance of centre in raising the awareness about architectural heritage and creating more jobs. For their part, the trainees briefed the princess on the skills they achieved from the training. 

AMMAN — The total number of households that submitted applications to benefit from the government's financial support following the recent decision to lift bread subsidy reached 190,000 until the weekend, said Nader Thneibat, secretary general of the ICT Ministry.

The government launched a website for people to register in order to benefit from the financial support. The website (www.da3mak.jo) enables Jordanian families and individuals to apply for the support programme.

Citizens can also apply through the mobile application "daamak" by filling in their national number, the number of family members, their monthly income and details of their bank account, Thneibat told The Jordan Times on Sunday.

He noted that there is no need for military and civil public employees, retirees from the military, the government and the Social Security Corporation, in addition to the beneficiaries of the National Aid Fund, to apply as they will receive the cash support through cash subsidies transfers to their salaries.

AMMAN  — Preventive Security Department personnel have seized a number of unlicensed firearms during raids on two houses in Amman and arrested two suspects, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported on Sunday.

A security source at the department said in the first house, security personnel seized two firearms, live ammunition and an electric shock weapon. In the second house, an automatic firearm and live ammunition were seized. Investigations were still ongoing.