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AMMAN — Foreign Minister Nasser Judeh and Luxembourg Foreign Minister Jean Asselborn on Monday discussed the latest regional developments and means to boost cooperation.

The two diplomats stressed the need to intensify and further coordinate anti-terror efforts.

Judeh stressed that regional conditions should not distract the international community from the Palestinian issue, commending Luxembourg’s support for Arab causes.

Also on Monday, Judeh met with India’s Minister of State for Commerce and Industry Nirmala Sitharaman and discussed means to enhance economic and trade cooperation.

Judeh described Jordanian-Indian relations as “deeply rooted”, highlighting the challenges the Kingdom is going through due to hosting a large number of refugees.

KUWAIT — Prime Minister Abdullah Ensour left for Kuwait on Monday, heading the Jordanian delegation to Tuesday’s 3rd Kuwait donors' conference to raise funds for UN humanitarian operations for Syrian refugees.  

Seventy-eight countries and forty international entities are taking part in the conference, hosted by Kuwait, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

During the conference, hosted by Kuwait for the third time, the Jordanian delegation will highlight the Jordan Response Plan to the Syrian refugee crisis for 2015, including implementation mechanisms and sources of funding.

The plan seeks to boost Jordan’s capabilities in meeting humanitarian and developmental needs, and in dealing with the costs borne by the Treasury, so that it can carry on with its humanitarian mission. 

The Jordanian delegation to the conference includes Planning and International Cooperation Minister Imad Fakhoury and Jordan’s Ambassador to Kuwait Mohammad Al Kayed.  

In Kuwait, Ensour met Abdulatif Al Hamad, director general and chairman of the Arab Fund for Economic and Social Development (AFESD) board, who announced that the fund will approve financing small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Jordan worth $100 million next week, in addition to funding the Khirbet Samra Wastewater Treatment Plant.

Voicing his appreciation for the fund’s contributions in the Kingdom’s development efforts, Ensour highlighted challenges facing Jordan since the start of the Syrian crisis and the influx of around 1.5 million refugees, Petra reported. 

For his part, Hamad underlined the fund’s commitment to increasing its cooperation with the Kingdom and fund more economic and development schemes. 

Fakhoury noted that the AFESD’s support to SMEs will be extended to the Central Bank of Jordan to be lent to banks with low interest rates. 

He said the government has reached an agreement with the fund to finance the seventh phase of the wastewater treatment scheme through a $54 million loan. 

Fakhoury also highlighted a grant AFESD has extended to Jordan to help it continue providing humanitarian services to the Syrian refugees. 

AMMAN — His Majesty King Abdullah on Monday received a delegation from the US Senate with whom he discussed ways to strengthen Jordanian-US relations, and the latest developments at regional and international levels. 

During a meeting at Al Husseiniya Palace, headed by US Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, King Abdullah expressed his appreciation of the US for supporting Jordan’s efforts to address the challenges facing it and carry out its comprehensive development plans, a Royal Court statement said. 

They went over the latest developments in the Middle East, especially anti-terrorism efforts and endeavours to make peace in the region. 

King Abdullah stressed the importance of intensifying international and regional efforts to confront the threats of terrorism and terrorist groups that try to undermine the security and the stability of all countries, with no exception. 

Regarding efforts to achieve peace between the Palestinians and the Israelis, the King stressed the need to revive peace negotiations between the two sides, to arrive at a just and comprehensive peace. 

The Monarch reiterated Jordan’s position in support of a political solution to the crisis in Syria. He also urged work to bring about stability in Iraq, Yemen and Libya. 

The visiting delegates praised of the strides Jordan has taken to expedite its development process.

Royal Court Chief Fayez Tarawneh, Foreign Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Nasser Judeh and King’s Office Director Jafar Hassan attended the meeting. 

Also on Monday, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs-of-Staff Gen. Mashal Al Zaben met McConnell and the accompanying delegates in the presence of HRH Prince Feisal. 

Discussions covered bilateral ties and prospects for further cooperation.

AMMAN — His Majesty King Abdullah on Monday discussed with Iraqi Vice President Osama Nujaifi bilateral relations and the anti-terrorism drive. 

During a meeting at Al Husseiniya Palace, King Abdullah stressed the Kingdom’s keenness to enhance Jordanian-Iraqi ties and building on them in different fields, in a way that serves the interests of both countries, a Royal Court statement said.

His Majesty reiterated Jordan’s support for Iraqis as they endeavour to restore stability and security in Iraq and achieve conciliation among all components of the Iraqi people.

The meeting also addressed regional and international efforts exerted to combat terrorist groups and their extremist ideologies, with the Monarch stressing the importance of supporting the Iraqi government in responding to this danger that “threatens the security and stability of the entire region”. 

For his part, Nujaifi expressed his country’s appreciation of His Majesty’s support for Iraq and its people, and his endeavours to achieve regional peace, security and stability. 

Royal Court Chief Fayez Tarawneh, King’s Adviser on National Security Affairs and General Intelligence Department Director Gen. Faisal Shobaki and King’s Office Director Jafar Hassan also attended the meeting. 

AMMAN – His Majesty King Abdullah on Monday honoured Civil Defence Sgt. Omar Balawneh with the Order of Dedication and Sacrifice in recognition of his heroic rescue of two Iraqi children at the Dead Sea Friday night.

His Majesty received Balawneh, his parents, the two children he rescued and their mother at Al Husseiniya Palace.

He directed Civil Defence Department Director Lt. Gen. Talal Kofahi to promote Balawneh to the rank of warrant officer, a Royal Court statement said.

Kofahi had already promoted Balawneh from the rank of corporal to sergeant on the spot after the operation. 

Nine people, including the two Iraqi children, were rescued by CDD divers and other rescue teams at a turbulent Dead Sea over the weekend.

Balawneh had to swim for 12 hours to save Maryam, 13, and Maher, 11, and return them to their family safe and sound. 

In an interview with the police radio station, Amen FM, on Sunday, Balawneh said the wavy sea prevented him from returning to land.

The corporal covered a distance of 17km swimming, he said. He reportedly arrived at the western end of the sea, where the three were collected later by the air force.

In remarks to the Jordan News Agency, Petra, the rescue specialist said he “cannot describe the feeling I had when I met His Majesty, who told me: ‘You deserve this decoration’,” adding: “What I did was my duty… Saving lives is our job at CDD.”  

The officer noted that he was trained on this kind of rescue operation and attributed his “resolve, patience and perseverance” to the way he was raised by his parents and the training he received at the agency. 

For her part, the mother of Maryam and Maher, Suad Nazzal, said: “I experienced very difficult moments over 12 hours… But CDD men were consoling me and told me that Omar was a brave man and my children would be all right.”

She added: “The moment I entered Jordan [fleeing violence in Iraq], I realised the high value attached to human life here. I take this opportunity to say how much I am grateful to Jordan, His Majesty King Abdullah and the nashama [brave men] of CDD after the experience I had and the successful rescue operation that ended with returning my children to me safe and sound.” 

Maryam and Maher thanked the rescue officer, saying: “He embraced us like a father and was assuring us that we would return to our mother.”

Balawneh’s parents expressed their pride in their son, thanking the King for the gesture, “which indicates His Majesty’s keenness to support and honour achievers among Jordanians”. 

The heroic act sparked a wave of positive remarks by Jordanian social media users over the past few days. 

Many users shared news and details about the incident while others circulated photos of Balawneh joined by the two Iraqi children. 

They also shared photos of King Abdullah honouring Balawneh.  

Nour Thafeer                          (@NoorAlthafeer) expressed her pride over the heroic act by Balawneh. 

“You are a source of pride for Jordan,” she tweeted. 

Yara Al-Tarawneh        (@yaratarawneh10) described Balawneh as “nashmi”.  

“All respect and gratitude for these nashama; may God bestow more strength onto you. We are proud of you,” she wrote. 

AMMAN — Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) in Amman seeks to upgrade its medical services for war-wounded patients in the region in a new setup that will be launched soon, according to Marc Schakal, MSF head of mission in Jordan and Iraq.

Schakal told The Jordan Times on Monday that the new setup entails increasing bed capacity and allowing the organisation to perform “better and additional” surgeries that could not be done before for patients from Iraq, Yemen, Syria and Palestine.

MSF will also increase bed capacity from 48 to 72 and will provide three operating theatres equipped with advanced equipment. It will also feature advanced air conditioning, sterilisation and infection control facilities to reduce possibilities of infections, the official said.

Schakal noted that the MSF project in Amman is one of its biggest projects, as Jordan enjoys stability and offers the space and resources to offer quality care for patients.

A total of 165 Jordanians with various specialisations work in the project in Amman, he added.

The organisation is currently finalising administrative procedures with local health authorities to inaugurate the new MSF premises, which is a floor at Al Mowasa Hospital in the capital’s Marka neighbourhood, according to Schakal. 

Medical personnel working at the MSF project in Amman perform reconstructive surgery and provide rehabilitation services for patients through physiotherapy, he said, highlighting the importance of mental health support to patients.

“It is very difficult sometimes for patients to accept their injuries; some have lost an important functionality in their daily lives and some are disfigured,” Schakal said, noting that the MSF psychosocial support aims to help them accept and live with their injuries and rejoin society in their home countries.

MSF also offers educational activities to children benefiting from the project in Amman.

“It is not to replace their school education, but it is a way to keep their mental and intellectual capacities active,” the official said.

MSF missions in Palestine and Yemen follow up on the patients for at least a year when they return from Jordan, he added, while the organisation coordinates with a network of doctors in Iraq to send and receive patients.

Almost 600 patients, who have been discharged from the hospital in Amman, are still under follow-up programmes in Yemen, Palestine, Jordan and Iraq, Schakal said.

“In Amman we have an average of 200 to 220 patients that undergo surgery and receive physiotherapy and mental health services,” he said, and around 30 surgeries are on hold, to be performed in the new setup, in addition to some 300 patients waiting in their home countries to be admitted at the Amman premises.

In Irbid, 80km north of Amman, the MSF project, which is hosted by the Specialty Hospital, focuses more on improving the maternal health of vulnerable women. 

“Our main objective is to provide access of maternity and delivery in good conditions for vulnerable women… We have been able to develop surgical capacities for complicated deliveries in a facility of 20 maternity and nine neonatology beds,” Schakal said, noting that the majority of beneficiaries are Syrian women.

The project in Irbid has so far received some 350 admissions in maternity and deals with 250 to 300 deliveries every month, in addition to offering counselling to pregnant women before delivery and building bridges with other organisations in the governorate to promote awareness on pregnancy health, newborns and breastfeeding.

Last November, the Irbid project started offering psychosocial health services.

“Psychosocial support initially meant to target the Syrian children… but we understood quickly that the mental health of the children is also linked to the mental availability of their mothers,” Schakal noted.

Around half of the patients who benefit from MSF services in Jordan are Syrians, 25 to 30 per cent are Iraqis, while the rest are Yemenis and Palestinians, he said.

In a meeting on Sunday, MSF International President Joanne Liu briefed representatives of local and regional media outlets on the situation in Syria and Yemen as well as the organisation’s work in fighting Ebola.

Describing the situation in Syria as “the biggest humanitarian crisis of the hour”, Liu said MSF staff has no presence in Syria anymore, as the organisation’s role is currently limited to providing “very minimal” aid compared to the needs through a network that delivers aid to the government and the opposition.

“MSF was never granted authorisation from officials to work in Syria,” she said, citing a case of abduction of a member of the organisation’s staff in January 2014. 

The organisation’s centres in Yemen’s Sanaa and Aden are “increasing their capacities right now” to respond to the current situation, with MSF centres receiving over 180 patients in the past few days.

Commenting on Ebola, the official noted that it was only last week that the number of cases per week dropped below 100 since the beginning of 2015, noting that the challenge is to reach “zero cases”.

Since it started operating in Jordan in 2006, the MSF Amman Reconstructive Surgery project received over 3,630 cases, including those who returned for additional surgical stages.  

The France-based non-profit medical and humanitarian organisation says it provides free medical care assistance to communities affected by natural disasters, armed conflicts and disease outbreaks.

A recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize in 1999 and the King Hussein Foundation Humanitarian Leadership Prize in 2004, MSF provides its service in 19 national offices and an international headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland.

CARL VINSON/ARABIAN GULF — Almost 50 per cent of US-led air strike missions against the Daesh terror group are conducted by fighter jets from the USS Carl Vinson aircraft carrier, according to US navy commanders.

So far, the US has conducted 3,000 air strikes against Daesh in Iraq and Syria, 1,500 of which were from the Carl Vinson, according to official figures.

Carl Vinson is currently deployed with the US Fifth Fleet area of operations along with Carrier Strike Group (CSG) 1 in support of Operation Inherent Resolve — strike operations in Iraq and Syria — as directed, maritime security operations and theatre security cooperation efforts conducted with US allies in the region.

In a meeting with international journalists on board the Carl Vinson, Commanding Officer Captain Karl O. Thomas said operations against Daesh conducted by the US along with the coalition of 60 countries has succeeded in degrading the terror group's operations and expansion in Iraq and Syria.

Thomas said when the Daesh threat started they were able to move, resupply and coordinate efforts, conduct attacks, take over cities and establish governorates, “but it is pretty hard now”.

He explained that fighter jets fly over Daesh-controlled territory to monitor their capabilities and take out vital targets.

The US intervention is being conducted at the request of the Iraqis, Thomas stressed.

“What we are trying to do is to allow Iraqis to re-govern their country, re-establish their borders and put the country together… to support them and provide some training to their forces,” he said, and this will not happen overnight, but the goal is to build Iraqis' ability to defend themselves and re-establish their own governance.

The commanding officer noted that operations started six months ago and “we don’t know when we will finish.”

Although he did not mention the cost of leading the operations against Daesh from the Carl Vinson, Thomas said daily US operations cost $8 million.

Built almost 33 years ago, the ship is designed to last for 50 years.

Jordan's role

Jordan has an integral role in the fight against Daesh and as a member of the coalition, according to US commanders.

“Jordan is one of our strongest allies in the region; obviously they help us in the strikes, and they have a lot of inspiration and influence,” Thomas said in response to a question by The Jordan Times.

However, each country in the coalition has an essential role and “the coalition deployment is key to our operations.”

Commenting on the death of Jordanian pilot Muath Kasasbeh, Matt Leaheg, Air Wing 17 captain, said the incident did not affect the intensity of strikes and operations.

“We constantly investigate the threat… we have not changed our operations since the Jordanian pilot was lost… our operations have affected their [Daesh] freedom to manoeuvre,” Leaheg told The Jordan Times.

Thomas agreed. “We look at the threat continuously and there has been no change in our operations after the incident with the Jordanian pilot.”

However, the policy towards using social media has changed after Daesh published names of US pilots online as part of a "kill list".

“We take the list of pilots that ISIS [Daesh] issues very seriously and review our policy on what we are posting on social media,” said Rear Admiral Christopher Grady, commander of Carrier Strike Group 1.

“We need to be smart on how to safeguard the information, not to have a lot of social media presence,” said Thomas.

Forty-one Navy and Marine Corps service members were named on the Daesh list.

Carl Vinson tour

During a tour of the Carl Vinson, organised recently by US NATO, the commanders said there are around 64 jets aboard that include fighter jets (Super Hornet, Hornet and F-18) in addition to helicopters (Sea Hawk) and tail-hooks.

Journalists spent more than 24 hours aboard and witnessed the takeoff and landing of jet fighters that are being sent on missions against Daesh over Iraq and Syria, and sometimes for training purposes

Each operation takes up to six hours, according to the commanders, who noted that jets are refuelled while in air.

“A lot of people are behind that and making lots of efforts,” said Thomas, adding that even when the aircraft leaves the deck, there are takers there from other countries that provide the fuel for the plane to stay up for a long time over Iraq and Syria.

“There are forces on the ground providing information to the aircraft,” he said, adding that the Carl Vinson, with its 5,000 crew members is like a city. 

“Launching the 1,500 operations that we have done takes a lot of efforts.”

AMMAN — Two Jordanian prisoners who had been released from Israeli jails have arrived in the Kingdom after occupation forces denied them exit several times.

Mohammad Tahir said he arrived in Jordan on March 8, although he was released on September 21, spending these six months trying to cross the border, because the Shabak, the Israel Security Agency, refused to let him out twice.

“I was arrested on September 2, 2012 on the Israeli side of the King Hussein Bridge, while trying to visit Nablus to attend a relative’s wedding,” Tahir told The Jordan Times over the phone on Monday.

He hired a lawyer to sue the Shabak in the Israeli high court of justice for not allowing him to travel back to Jordan, and won the case, with him writing a pledge not to return to Israel for three years.

The Kuwait-born 28-year-old said he was deemed a “potential threat to Israel’s security”, since he had been active on social media in support of Palestine while studying in Jordan, adding that his accounts might have been monitored by Israeli authorities.

“I spent 26 months in prison and had to pay a fine of 3,000 shekels [around JD536],” Tahir said, adding that on the first day of detention he suffered high blood pressure that required regular treatment.

He had been married for only two months when Israeli forces arrested him.

According to a statement from Fedaa, the media team which supports Jordanian prisoners in Israel, Tahir spent his imprisonment in the Megiddo, Shata, Rimon and Naqab detention centres.

The second released prisoner, Ayman Adam, arrived in Jordan on March 13 after serving a 38-month prison term between July 27, 2011 and August 3, 2014, and paying a fine of 20,000 shekels (around JD3,575).

Adam, 43, told The Jordan Times that Israeli forces arrested him on the King Hussein Bridge while he was returning to Amman after visiting his relatives in Hebron.

“There were no clear charges against me, but Israelis charged me with terrorist-related acts,” he said, adding that he was questioned for around 45 days after his detention.

The father of four, who managed to obtain a diploma in psychology while in prison, said he tried to come back to Jordan twice after his release, but was only allowed exit on the third try.

AMMAN — Several Ramtha residents on Monday called on authorities to cull stray dogs in the northern town. 

The appeal of the residents, interviewed by The Jordan Times over the phone, comes two days after 15 children between the ages of eight and fourteen, were bitten by stray dogs while playing football. 

Mohammad Abu Dayeh said stray dogs pose a threat to the safety of residents, particularly in the western part of the city, adding that sometimes it is not safe to let children play outside.

Abu Dayeh said he had asked the municipality several times to take action to address what he said is a dangerous phenomenon that has been going on for more than three years. 

Mohammad Saqqar said sometimes stray dogs are seen just outside houses in Ramtha, 90km north of Amman, adding that even in daytime they attack children while heading to school. 

Ahmad Zu’bi also complained about the dogs and called on the municipality to end “the nightmare” residents of the western part of Ramtha are living through. 

Several children in the area were bitten by stray dogs, he said, adding that dozens of dogs are usually seen wandering in the area. 

On the health situation of the 15 children bitten Saturday night, director of the Ramtha public hospital Yousef Tahat said they received medical treatment for rabies and anti-tetanus vaccines and were discharged.

The physician said the children will continue to take a series of seven shots over the next three months. 

Tahat told The Jordan Times that the Ramtha Health Department, the municipality and the Royal Society for the Conservation of Nature will follow up on the issue and cull stray dogs.

AMMAN – Balqa Governorate is now enforcing regulations banning Dead Sea visitors from swimming during the night for their safety, the governor said on Monday. 

Balqa Governor Saleh Shoshan said the regulations were issued “a long time ago” but the decision to enforce them came later.

“I am upset that some local websites are reporting that we issued these regulations recently now. We did it a long time ago but we have just recently decided to activate them to ensure public safety,” Shoshan told The Jordan Times over the phone on Monday. 

He noted that a few isolated incidents that required rescue teams to intervene took place when people swam at night in the Dead Sea, but none had been similar in magnitude to the incident that involved the rescue of nine people by Civil Defence Department (CDD) divers and other rescue teams in a 16-hour operation.

The rescue operation took place last weekend when four people were swimming at the Amman Public Beach on Friday and strong waves pushed them away from the beach. The high density of salt in the Dead Sea and the strong waves made it hard for them to swim back to shore. 

Another five people were swimming near a beach close to the hot springs at the same time when they were pulled further into the sea because of the waves.

The joint rescue operation included divers and personnel from the CDD, the Public Security Department, the Royal Naval Force and the Jordan Armed Forces-Arab Army, according to a CDD statement.

“We want people to enjoy their time but at the same time we are concerned about their safety,” Shoshan added. 

The governor said when people swim in the evening, if any incident were to take place it would be difficult for their friends to find them in the dark. 

“Rescue operations are also difficult to conduct in darkness,” he added.