Local

AMMAN — The Labour Ministry arrested 100 illegal guest workers and issued fines against their employers over the last two days, as part of the ministry’s crackdown campaign, the ministry’s spokesperson, Mohammad Khatib, said on Tuesday. 

The ministry’s inspectors have been working round-the-clock on Sunday and Monday to detect and deport guest labourers working without work permits in jobs reserved for Jordanians, Khatib told The Jordan Times over the phone. 

The inspection campaign comes in line with the ministry’s efforts to regulate the national labour market in accordance with the National Programme for Employment (2017-2021) launched in September.

The programme aims to replace guest workers with Jordanians in the sectors of industry, tourism, agriculture, construction, services and power, through providing training programmes followed by employment opportunities, Khatib explained. 

The ministry allocated JD100 million for the employment and empowerment strategy, which covers part of the trainees’ wages, social security, transportation and health insurance fees to encourage the private sector in employing Jordanians, he added.

Minister of Labour Ali Ghezawi announced earlier this month that there are more than 800,000 guest workers without work permits in the Kingdom.

During the first nine months of 2017, the ministry caught 6,000 illegal migrant workers during 40,000 inspections to workplaces, Khatib said. 

Khatib said that around 350,000 guest workers are registered and hold work permits. 

AMMAN — Minister of Planning and International Cooperation Imad Fakhoury on Tuesday met with a UN delegation headed by Natalia Kanem, under secretary general of the UN/executive director of the UN Population Fund (UNFPA) and an accompanying delegation, a Planning Ministry statement said.

Fakhoury briefed the delegation on the challenges facing Jordan due to the successive regional crises, which affected the Kingdom’s economic growth, and put pressure on its infrastructure and services such as health, education and transportation.

The minister and the delegation discussed UNFPA Country Programme in Jordan for 2018-2022 and its contribution to supporting the national development plans and achieving the sustainable development goals in accordance with the Jordan Document 2025 and the government’s executive programmes.

Regarding population policies, Fakhoury highlighted the efforts of the government in preparing the demographic projections and coming up with means to transform these population challenges into sustainable development opportunities, the statement added.

“Despite the huge challenges Jordan is facing, it continues implementing its reform and development plans and is currently preparing a plan for stimulating the economic growth in the next five years”, Fakhoury said.

The minister pointed out that the Kingdom is currently conducting the income and expenditure survey of Jordanian families in cooperation with the World Bank.

The survey, which will be finalised in August, will provide accurate figures on poverty and will contribute to improving the implementation of the strategy to combat poverty and social exclusion, the minister said.

For her part, Kanem stressed UNFPA’s commitment to supporting Jordan at various levels, namely by achieving the sustainable development goal 10, which is related to youth and reproductive health.

She commended the Jordanian development model, the reform path, and Jordan’s resilience in dealing with the refugees, according to the statement.      

AMMAN — The Partnership on Research and Innovation in the Mediterranean Area (PRIMA) agreement was recently signed between Jordan and the EU, under the patronage of HRH Prince Hassan and HRH Princess Sumaya, a statement by the Princess Sumaya University for Technology (PSUT) said.

The agreement was signed by the Secretary General of the Higher Council for Science and Technology Khaled El Shuraydeh and the Director General for Research and Innovation of the European Commission Maria Cristina Russo during the closing ceremony of the World Science Forum at the Dead Sea on November 10.

Over the last years, growing awareness of the challenges related to agro-food systems and water resources in the Mediterranean area has induced EU member states and Southern and Eastern Mediterranean Countries to work together on several common research initiatives, the statement said.

These initiatives have achieved important results, allowing the creation of strong networks of leading scientists with a diverse background from both shores of the Mediterranean, and reinforcing mutual trust among participating countries.

The 10-year PRIMA agreement has been initiated to create new research and innovation approaches to improve water availability and sustainable agriculture production in a region heavily distressed by climate change, urbanisation and population growth, the statement read, noting that the partnership is based on the three principles of co-funding, co-decision and co-ownership.

Currently, there are 19 countries participating in the bi-regional programme of PRIMA; 11 EU member states and 8 MPCs, and more participants from both sides are expected to join as the initiative grows over time.

The partnership will be financed through a combination of funding which stands at 274 million euros from participating countries matched by 220 million euro from the EU through Horizon 2020 research and innovation funding programme (2014-2020), according to the statement.

Jordan has spearheaded the initiative in cooperation with Italy since its inception in 2012 and has co-chaired PRIMA general assembly. The Kingdom has also shown full commitment to the partnership and will continue to support and actively participate in its activities, Jordanian officials said. 

The signing ceremony was attended by Margus Rava ambassador of the Republic of Estonia and Carlos Moedas, the European Commissioner for Science, Research and Innovation, the statement concluded.

AMMAN — A senior Jerusalem awqaf official has said that the situation of foreign visitors to Al Aqsa/Al Haram Al Sharif compound is not favourable as Israel has been controlling the process since 2003. 

Director General of Jerusalem Awqaf and Al Aqsa Affairs Sheikh Azzam Khatib said on Monday that before 2000, all non-Muslim visitors were allowed to visit the shrine through his department but Israel, since 2003, installed a bridge at Bab Al Magharbeh that became the only path for tourists to enter the compound, led by Jewish guides. 

In addition, he told a Jordan TV talks show on Jerusalem, Israel took advantage of the situation and imposed its own narrative, twisting the historical facts about the Muslim shrine, which is, along with all Muslim and Christian holy sites in the sacred city, under the custodianship of the Hashemite leadership of Jordan.    

Wasfi Kilani, CEO of the Hashemite Fund for the Reconstruction of Al Aqsa Mosque, said on the same show that non-Muslims’ visits to the mosque have always been allowed, yet they have become controlled by the Israeli occupation authorities and visitors are exposed to the Israeli propaganda

Kilani added that the right response by the Islamic world is through maximising the number of people those who can visit Palestine and Jerusalem, highlighting the importance of fatwas [religious decrees] that have been issued in the Islamic world urging Muslims to visit the city, resulting in an increasing number of tourists from Turkey, Malaysia and Indonesia, among others. 

Europe has been fair to the Jerusalem cause, the officials agreed. 

Minister of Jerusalem Affairs in the Palestinian National Authority Adnan Husseini highlighted the importance of contacting European diplomatic missions. 

For his part, former Palestinian minister of Jerusalem Hatem Abdul Qader said that the visits of EU representatives to Al Haram Al Sharif through the Awqaf department represent a clear recognition of the authority of the department and the Jordanian role in the protection of Al Aqsa Mosque. 

Abdul Qader said that these visits constitute a strong European political and diplomatic stand against Israeli violations, especially since Europeans acknowledge the sanctity and status of the mosque, noting that field visits by EU officials help expose the Israeli violations than mere reports by foreign diplomats. 

AMMAN — The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) and the Greater Amman Municipality (GAM) are joining forces to transform Amman into a smart city, the bank said in a statement e-mailed to The Jordan Times Tuesday.

Under a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed Tuesday, both parties agreed to establish a framework for strategic and operational cooperation in Amman to introduce solutions addressing major environmental, economic and social challenges.

The EBRD and GAM will cooperate to promote sector reforms and develop priority projects to modernise infrastructure and municipal services in Amman. 

The Jordanian capital counts over 4 million inhabitants and hosts around 400,000 refugees, which is creating challenges and putting a strain on the municipal services, the EBRD said.

The municipality is planning to introduce “smart” solutions to improve the quality and sustainability of its services, including investments that will work to ease the high burden of traffic congestion in the city and to apply the latest advances in information technology to better serve Amman’s residents.

 “We are very pleased to contribute to the modernisation of Amman and to help develop innovative solutions which will enhance the quality of services and living of the capital’s population,” EBRD President Sir Suma Chakrabarti said in the statement.

Hazem Neimat, deputy mayor of GAM, said in the statement: “The Greater Amman Municipality is committed to ensuring the sustainable delivery of municipal services and is keen to adopt pioneering solutions that promote resource efficiency and improve the lives of Amman’s citizens. We are grateful to the EBRD for their ongoing support and for partnering with us in the pursuit of smart solutions.”

Jordan became an EBRD shareholder in 2012 and to-date the bank has committed close to $1 billion across 38 projects in various sectors of the economy, in addition to $180 million of trade-facilitation credit lines with local banks, according to the statement.

AMMAN — Minister of Planning and International Cooperation Imad Fakhoury on Tuesday attended the Global Leadership Week held by the Queen Rania Centre for Entrepreneurship at Princess Sumaya University of Technology (PSUT) under the patronage of HRH Princess Sumaya.

Fakhoury said that the world has stepped into the era of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, the revolution of ICT and globalisation, a Planning Ministry statement said.

He noted that it is now a time for creativity and speed in which products, services and jobs change constantly. 

“Arab societies are young, 60-70 per cent of the population are under 30 years of age, which provides our region with human resources and the energy to carry out development,” the minister said.

Fakhoury noted that Jordan has stopped the economic decline, with its ranking in business environment attractiveness having improved by 15 points according to the latest figures. He called on all parties to continue working in partnership with the government to improve and stimulate the business environment. 

In this context, Fakhoury pointed out that the government, under the directives of His Majesty King Abdullah, is working on the completion of the executive programme of the Plan to Stimulate Economic Growth 2018-2022, which includes a major focus on both business environment and entrepreneurship, the statement said. 

He pointed out that improving legislative procedures ensures achieving development and enhancing business environment in the Kingdom.

Fakhoury referred to the financing agreement signed by the ministry and the World Bank for the establishment of a $50 million Innovative Startups fund to cover the Jordanian government’s contribution to the establishment of the fund. The Central Bank of Jordan  will contribute to the establishment of this fund by providing $ 48 million; the total value of the project is about $ 98 million, according to the statement.

The Ministry of Planning and International Cooperation, through the Programme for Enhancing Economic and Social Productivity, and in cooperation with the Development and Employment Fund, has implemented a loan window for pilot projects with a ceiling of up to JD100,000 in order to enable them obtain the necessary loans to implement their pilot projects in their areas of existence and benefit from the facilities related to these loans.

The Ministry has also set up a special fund to guarantee the risk of financing pilot projects through which 80 per cent of the required guarantees will be provided on these loans, in addition to opening a loan window for youth seeking jobs at a ceiling of JD15,000 with exemptions up to 30 per cent during the first three years and by Murabaha 3 per cent.

RIYADH — Lebanon’s Christian Maronite patriarch, visiting Saudi Arabia in an historic visit to the ultra-conservative Muslim kingdom, expressed support on Tuesday for the reasons behind Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Al Hariri’s resignation.

Hariri, a Saudi ally, resigned abruptly on November 4 in a move Lebanese political leaders ascribed to pressure from Riyadh. Hariri said his resignation had been prompted by an assassination plot and accused Iran and Hizbollah of sowing strife in the region. He denies there are any constraints on his movement.

Patriarch Bechara Al Rai met Hariri as well as King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman as part of a trip that was planned well before the Lebanese political crisis brought on by Hariri’s resignation.

“Hariri is returning as fast as possible and I support the reasons for his resignation,” Rai was quoted as saying by Al Arabiya television.

Hariri said he was fine and would return to Lebanon in the next two days. On Twitter, he urged Lebanese to remain calm and said his family would stay in Saudi Arabia, calling it “their country”.

The events have thrust Lebanon back to the forefront of the conflict between Saudi Arabia and Iran.

Rai’s trip has come under heightened scrutiny in light of Hariri’s resignation, but an official visit to Saudi Arabia by such a senior non-Muslim cleric is significant as a rare act of religious openness by the conservative Muslim country.

The kingdom hosts the holiest sites in Islam and bans the practice of other religions, forcing Christians to risk arrest by praying in private homes.

Prince Mohammed says he wants Saudi Arabia to open up more to the world. In addition to imposing radical economic reforms, the 32-year-old heir-apparent has pledged to relax strict social norms and revive a “middle-of-the-road, moderate Islam open to the world and all religions, traditions and people”.

Rai heads the Maronite church, which has a presence in Lebanon, Syria and Cyprus and follows an Eastern rite of the Roman Catholic Church.

Flanked by Catholic clerics wearing vestments and gold crosses, Rai discussed religious tolerance and combating extremism with the king and his son, the Saudi state news agency said.

Prince Mohammed has taken a harder line on Iran since taking on wide-ranging authorities two years ago including as defence minister, with the kingdom waging a two-year-old war in Yemen against Houthi fighters aligned with Iran.

The powers of the Saudi religious police have been curbed, enforcement of gender segregation has been relaxed and women have been granted some more freedoms, including the right to drive cars starting next year.

Rai is the second Christian patriarch to visit the country, after another such trip in 1975. He said the original invitation had been extended in 2013 by the late King Abdullah.

AMMAN — Interior Minister Ghaleb Zu’bi on Tuesday met with Vladimir Ivanovich Voronkov, the undersecretary general of the UN Counter-Terrorism Office, and an accompanying delegation, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported. 

Zu’bi outlined Jordan’s strategic security plan and its preventive and awareness measures to combat terrorism and extremism. “Jordanians are proud of the level we have reached in combating this plague, which took a collective nature involving our military and security institutions side by side with the rest of society, which have become aware of the dangers of extremism and its destructive impact on the future of the country and its generations,” he said.

The minister stressed the regional situation’s impact on the Jordanian economy, asserting the government’s ongoing work to find “economic and investment horizons” towards recovery.

The meeting was attended by Public Security Department Director General Ahmad Al Faqih, who said that his department constantly seeks to improve conditions at the correction and rehabilitation centres, including providing vocational training for inmates to support them and their families.

AMMAN — The Aqaba Special Economic Zone Authority (ASEZA) is preparing to drown an out-of-service C-130 plane that was received as a gift from the Royal Air Force, in southern beach, on Thursday to be a tourist attraction and a new location for coral reefs.

ASEZA Spokesperson Abdul Mahdi Qatamin said that personnel at the Marine Park and southern beach at the zone have prepared the location, which was chosen in consultations with the Aqaba Divers Association, where necessary equipment were installed at a depth of 14 to 16 metres in the water.

He told the Jordan News Agency, Petra, that divers, swimmers and glass-boat passengers will be easily able to see the plane and reach the area.

AMMAN — A series of workshops targeting journalists, bloggers and social media reporters from Jordan, Iraq, Iran, Lebanon, Syria and Turkey is being organised in Amman by the Swiss Cooperation Office (SCO), a Swiss embassy statement said.

The first of four workshops in Jordan started on Tuesday and will run through Thursday, aiming to raise awareness among local communities and policy makers about water management.“Jordan has recently been declared the 2nd water-scarcest country in the world.

Water and effective water management are thus increasingly becoming important topics in Jordan and the region,” the statement read. The workshops will focus on conflict sensitive journalism, water-related knowledge and journalistic skills.