Local

AMMAN — On the occasion of the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People, the Jordanian Society for Medical Aid for Palestine (JMAP) launched a solidarity campaign to support the health centres at the Jerash and Hitteen camps. 

Running through December 30, the campaign aims to collect medicines and other medical supplies to ensure the continued provision of the services at the camps. 

“Our mission is to establish and operate medical health centres within refugee camps in Jordan to provide health services and enable refugees to live in a healthy environment,” JMAP Communications Coordinator Shahed Shalami told The Jordan Times. 

“We are taking donations from both organisations and individuals, and we have established promotional stalls in crowded areas such as malls or hospitals for the expansion of the campaign,” she continued. 

The campaign will also contribute to JMAP’s goal of establishing a mobile clinic to serve the camps of Al Sukhneh, in Zarqa and Talbieh in Zizia.

“Palestinian refugees need our help to alleviate their hardship, and to enable JMAP to reach to others living in Sukhneh and Talbieh camps,” Shalami concluded.

AMMAN — Cutting wood for metal smelting was vital for inhabitants through different ages as the process of reforesting would take a long time, according to a Jordanian scholar, who added that the metal objects’ industry was monopolised by temples, palaces and rulers.

To produce metal objects, ore must be mined and then smelted with a strong fire to release the metal, which needs a large amount of timber, said Professor of Archaeology Zeidan Kafafi from Yarmouk University in Irbid.

If a state could not produce these objects, metal tools were imported from other countries with a developed metallurgy sector, Kafafi told The Jordan Times in a recent e-mail interview.

“Unfortunately, the metal technology wasn’t a form of administrative or scribal concern in Mesopotamia and Egypt in ancient times like some other crafts,” the scholar, who is the member of the Board of Trustees at the Jordan Museum, underlined.

Written documents present only limited information and are often silent concerning the geographical provenience of the metal ore, its quantity, price, or techniques of fabrication, Kafafi continued.

However, it might be found that jewellery excavated from the pre-historic times onward, and in the cemetery of Ur (southern Iraq) or at several sites in Egypt, represent an advanced form of handicrafts, Kafafi said.

“The study of the early metal production and its use has been left to the archaeologists and archaeo-metallurgists,” he said, adding “nevertheless, the Akkadian cuneiform texts uncovered in Mesopotamia refer to the importance of copper from the mountainous area located on the East of the Tigris River and of metal stones from Magan [Oman].”

When discussing the early metallurgy in Jordan, emphasis is placed on research in two regions: the Wadi Faynan (Wadi Araba) and Tell Al Himmah (Jordan Valley), which are both located in the Afro-Asian rift, Kafafi outlined.

Jordan became a major source of copper during the Chalcolithic period (beginning of the Bronze Age) when copper cores were found at Wadi Faynan.

“The earliest copper objects registered from the excavated archaeological sites comprised tools and decorative items,” Kafafi explained, noting that the excavated copper objects at Wadi Mehres in Palestine reflect the capabilities of the Chalcolithic metal smiths illustrated by the shapes of the cult-objects. 

“However, weapons such as daggers, crescent-shaped axes made of copper became more popular only later in the Early Bronze Age,” Kafafi stressed.

The Middle Bronze Age witnessed the use of sophisticated bronze objects that were moulded, Kafafi said, noting that “the Late Bronze Age metal production was a continuation and development of the Middle Bronze Age industry”.

As a result of this small scale dig at the site Tell Al Hammeh, a number of iron furnaces, first thought to be dated to the 8th/7th centuries BC, and a large amount of slag were uncovered, he noted.

“It has been claimed by the excavators that the study of the excavated archaeological materials from Tell Al Hammeh proved the presence of an iron production centre. New information about the dating of the iron production at the site was also obtained from the recent excavations conducted in 2000 and 2009,” the scholar emphasised.

However, this argues that the Iron Age workshop industry at Tell Al Hammeh might represent, if not the oldest of its type, at least one of the earliest in the Ancient Near East region, Kafafi argued.

Scholars should accept that Jordan is considered to be the region where the earliest steps of the copper mining, smelting, moulding and hammering occured, Kafafi concluded.

Kafafi is scheduled to elaborate on this topic in his presentation to the World Science Forum, to be held under the patronage of His Majesty King Abdullah at the Dead Sea between November 7 and 11. The international event will be organised by the Royal Scientific Society.

AMMAN — Several ministries and public departments have started testing e-services approved by the government, and are being implemented by the ICT Ministry in cooperation with partners, the ministry announced on Saturday.

As of the beginning of 2018, 10 services will be available exclusively online at some departments, according to a ministry statement.

During a recent Cabinet session, ICT Minister Majd Shweikeh presented a report that showed progress in the advancement towards a "digital Jordan", noting that many government procedures will be modified between 2017 and 2020.

The minister said that tenders were floated in 2017 to modify 287 public departments' services, adding that work is ongoing to automate 75 services. She noted that 136 services will be automated in 2018, 131 services in 2019 and 293 services in 2020. 

AMMAN — Health Minister Mahmoud Sheyyab on Saturday inspected health services provided to citizens in a number of health centres in the governorates of Jerash, Ajloun and Irbid, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

Sheyyab affirmed the ministry's determination to make changes in the level of health services and improve their quality. He said that these field trips, especially surprise visits, allow strengthening performance.

AMMAN — Jordan's Ambassador to the US Dina Kawar has visited Michigan, where she met with members of the Jordanian community in Detroit to check on their needs.

The ambassador's visit comes as part of a series of trips to check on Jordanian expatriates across the US, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported on Friday.

During a discussion with expatriates, the ambassador reviewed the latest developments in Jordan and the Arab region, noting that the Kingdom is persistent in achieving its goals, despite the difficult circumstances in the region.

On the sidelines of the visit, Kawar met with the Deputy Governor of Michigan Brian Calley and Senator Debbie Stabenow, as well as a number of leading figures in the state, during a ceremony held at the Arab American and Chaldean Council.

AMMAN — The Foreign Ministry on Friday announced that a Royal Air Force plane headed to Saudi Arabia to airlift Jordanian citizen Sameeh Nasr back to the Kingdom after he was injured in a traffic accident in Hail.

A ministry statement, cited by the Jordan News Agency, Petra, said that the plane left the Hail International Airport at 12:30pm on Friday and that the Jordanian will receive treatment in the King Hussein Medical Centre. 

AMMAN — President of Hungary János Áder will arrive in Jordan today, starting a four-day official visit during which he will hold talks with His Majesty King Abdullah on means to foster bilateral ties as well as regional and international issues of mutual concern, according to Hungarian Ambassador in Amman Csaba Czibere.

In addition to the scheduled talks, the Hungarian president will participate in the opening of the 2017 World Science Forum (WSF) which will start on November 7th and will visit main sites in the country, the ambassador said in a recent interview with The Jordan Times on the occasion of the visit.

“Our president is looking forward to the official visit to get to know the country and its people too,” said the ambassador.

The visit coincided with the 2017 World Science Forum, which is an initiative that started in 2003 by the Hungarian Academy of Sciences and the UNESCO, said the ambassador, stressing on the high significance of Jordan’s hosting of the forum, which is expected to be attended by more than 3,000 high-level participants.

“For the first time, this forum is coming to the region and Jordan is the most natural choice to host the event, which recognises how much the Kingdom is doing for peace and science,” said the diplomat.

“This is a major event in the life of Jordan,” said the ambassador, stressing that since the very beginning of the forum, Jordan has been represented at high level.

The Hungarian president’s visit, he said, will help build further on existing strategic cooperation between the two countries in various areas, including fields of science and higher education.

“Hungary is the largest state scholarship provider to Jordan…according to an agreement between the two counties a total of 400 scholarships for higher education programmes are granted to Jordanians each year, said the ambassador.

Jordan is the largest recipient of the state scholarships programme by Hungary, which is called Stipendium Hungaricum, he said.

“We have 55 partner countries in the programme and the numbers are growing…This academic year, we have 6,700 scholarship holders from these 55 countries out of whom 650 are Jordanians,” he said.

For the current academic year, 400 scholarships were extended to Jordanians, out of which 220 were in the master’s level, 65 were allocated for PhD students and the rest in first college degree.

Scholarships are granted in various majors including medicine, dentistry, all fields of engineering, business studies, IT, humanities and management.

On trade exchange between the two countries, the ambassador said it was affected and fluctuated following the regional geopolitical developments and the closure of borders between Jordan and neighbouring countries.

Trade exchange in 2016 reached $45 million, the bulk of which was Hungarian exports to Jordan.

He added that the relaxed EU rules of origin would help pave the way for increased cooperation in this regard.

During the interview, the ambassador stressed that the Hungarian president is an active contributor in the international promotion of water solutions, sustainability and the protection of environment.

“The president promotes these issues at an international level,” he said.

The Hungarian president is a member in a high level panel of water and sanitation of the UN secretary general, he said.

Stressing on Hungary’s support to Jordan, the ambassador said: “We are aware how much Jordan takes by hosting refugees from Syria and we think that Jordan should be fully compensated by the international community.”

Hungary, which chairs the Visegrad group of Central European states, is looking into more micro aid projects targeting host communities in Jordan to help refugees too in camps.

AMMAN — His Majesty King Abdullah on Saturday met with chief of Indonesian National Counterterrorism Agency Com. Gen. Suhardi Alius over cooperation in combating terror.

They discussed mechanisms of enhancing such cooperation in the security field, according to a Royal Court statement.

During the meeting, regional and international efforts in the war on terror as part of a holistic strategy were discussed.

Jordan, deemed a leader in the fight against terror groups, has been advocating a “holistic approach” within a global concert. 

In a speech in Belgium last year, King Abdullah has said that Jordan’s international partners in the fight against terrorist groups started to adopt the comprehensive approach Jordan has been preaching, which is based on the fact that the terror phenomenon is “not exclusive to the Arab region”, citing the threat to world security as a globally shared challenge. 

“Terrorism has no border, no nationality, no religion,” His Majesty has stated on another occasion, calling for a concerted global effort to achieve the “crucial” goal. 

In a related development, Amman hosted on Saturday a conference titled “Jordan in a changing region… the coming stage’s scenarios”, during which a senior official underlined that Jordan’s strategy to fighting terrorism is based on military, security and ideology pillars.

Deputising for Prime Minister Hani Mulki in opening the event, State Minister for Media Affairs and Government Spokesperson Mohammad Momani said that Jordan has a pivotal regional role in the efforts that aim to establish security and stability (See story Page 3).

AMMAN — Jordan's economy is "on the right track" with economic growth, expected to reach 2.3 per cent this year and a slightly higher level in 2018, according to a report recently issued by the Arab Monetary Fund (AMF).

As economists differ on the projections, the AMF report on the economic outlook for Arab states indicated that, in spite of regional uncertainty, the Jordanian economy continues to witness positive improvements, especially in terms of tourism revenues, which rose by 17.9 per cent in the first third of this year, compared to the same period last year. 

The report indicated that regional developments, the large number of Syrian refugees in the Kingdom, as well as high unemployment rates will continue to affect Jordan, adding that, in light of increased pressure caused by the refugee influx and a decline in grants extended to Jordan, the country will resort more to borrowing, which will increase public debt.

International credit rating agency Standard and Poor’s has downgraded Jordan’s rating to B+, from BB-, citing poor performance on external debt, among other factors. 

The rating agency expects a low economic growth of an average of 2.7 per cent over 2017-2020, compared to 6.5 per cent over 2000-2009, citing, among other reasons, fiscal pressures resulting from Syrian refugee inflow.

The unemployment rate in the second quarter of 2017 stood at 18 per cent, marking a 2.7 per cent increase when compared to the same period of last year, the Department of Statistics  announced in October.

According to officials, there are 1.4 million Syrian refugees in Jordan, which is one of the main challenges that the Jordanian economy is currently facing. 

However, and in spite of these challenges, the national economy has been improving, the report showed, expecting it to grow by 2.3 per cent in 2017 and 2.5 per cent in 2018, thanks to financial and fiscal reforms announced by the government in addition to plans to create jobs for Jordanians.

Last month, Prime Minister Hani Mulki announced that the government was working on a JD100-million project to create new jobs for Jordanians with a series of public-private projects that will help boost economic growth.

Economist Wajdi Makhamreh said he was “optimistic” about higher growth rate in 2018 due to the reopening of the border crossing with Iraq, which is a major market to the country’s economy.

“The growth of the Iraqi market makes my forecast for 2018 very optimistic,” Makhamreh told The Jordan Times over the phone on Saturday.

“I believe that Jordan will be able to achieve the target of 2.5 per cent in 2018 and maybe slightly higher if the borders are reopened with Syria as well…. For 2017, it is still early to see evident results for the reopening of the border,” Makhamreh added.

“Currently, the government is applying reforms in order to cut budget costs and there are other improvements that are helping the economy. But the changes are taking place on a small scale; that’s why I am more conservative about the Arab Monetary Fund’s forecast of a 2.3 per cent of economic growth this year,” he stated. 

Economist Zayyan Zawaneh was less optimistic about growth figures in these two years as he said there has been no real impact on the country’s economy since the reopening of the borders with Iraq.

“After the reopening of the border with Iraq, other internal developments in the country started to have their impact and I am not optimistic about the government being able to achieve these targets for 2017 and 2018, taking the current challenges into account,” Zawaneh told The Jordan Times.

“The expected increases in taxes referred by the government over the past period would also play a role in not being able to achieve the desired economic growth in 2018 and it is still early to see to which degree the reopening of the Iraqi border will drive growth,” Zawaneh said.

“I do believe that Jordan as a country is able to meet this percentage of growth as the Jordanian economy has always been around this 2 per cent; but everything depends on the government’s actions,” he concluded.

AMMAN — His Majesty King Abdullah on Thursday paid a visit to the Royal Film Commission (RFC), a Royal Court statement said.

During the visit, His Majesty was acquainted with the future programmes and plans of the commission and met with the commission's staff and a group of filmmakers.

HRH Prince Ali, president of RFC's board of commissioners, expressed appreciation for His Majesty's support for the commission, whose mission is to develop the Jordanian filmmaking industry and enable it to compete on an international level.

RFC General Manager George David gave a presentation on the commission's achievements, noting that 110 domestic and international films have been produced or filmed in Jordan during the past few years, in addition to dozens of TV productions.

David said that the commission seeks to attract film projects to be filmed in the Kingdom.

He also outlined the RFC’s strategy for the coming years, which is based on supporting cinematic and TV production in the Kingdom, education and training in various cinematic and TV fields for beginners and professional filmmakers from Jordan and the region.

The official highlighted the importance of disseminating the film culture in Jordan, noting that RFC screens movies regularly in Amman and other governorates in cooperation with local and international partners.

During the meeting, the participating filmmakers reflected on their experiences and suggested ways to take Jordanian filmmaking to the next level.

Producer and Director Mahmoud Hammash said that the commission has made the opportunity available for him to receive free-of-charge training on documentaries, which, he said, enabled him to produce a short film in this category.

Hammash noted that he now earns his bread from his career as a movie maker.

For Anwar Shawabkah, a director, the commission has facilitated her work to produce the film “Rusoumat Amman”, by attending various RFC workshops that enabled her to produce another film dubbed “Start Now”, which has been screened in four festivals in the UK.